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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. squash — to crush
  3. court — of law
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. court — for sport
  7. race — humankind
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. race — a contest
  11. plane — a tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. court — of a king
  14. tube — a container
  15. race — the arms race
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. row — a line
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. branch — a division
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mine — for digging
  23. squash — the sport
  24. branch — of a bank

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