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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. ground — the earth
  7. staff — employees
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. staff — employees
  10. race — a contest
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. plane — a tool
  15. ground — a position
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. hand — help
  19. race — humankind
  20. hand — in cards
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ground — crushed
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rush — a thrill

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