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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. race — humankind
  4. track — a song
  5. club — a group
  6. track — a path
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. track — to keep track
  11. plane — a tool
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. sharp — clever
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. race — a contest
  17. squash — the sport
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. race — the arms race
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. nail — for a hammer

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