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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. race — a contest
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. race — humankind
  9. field — a subject
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. plane — a tool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. file — a tool
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. file — a document

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