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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 116 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. last — finally
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. race — a contest
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. kid — to tease
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. kid — child
  16. bat — the animal
  17. race — humankind
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — boats
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. plane — a tool
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pit — a hole

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