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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. race — the arms race
  4. court — of a king
  5. plane — a tool
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. court — for sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. club — for golf
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. club — a group
  14. race — humankind
  15. wind — moving air
  16. court — of law
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wind — moving air
  23. race — a contest
  24. wind — to turn a key

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