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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — to fit
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — a permit
  17. race — humankind
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rash — a series
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com