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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. lean — to bend
  3. row — a line
  4. race — humankind
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rush — hurry
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. race — a contest
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. plane — a tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. kick — in football

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