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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. object — a thing
  12. race — humankind
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. race — a contest
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. object — to protest
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. object — an aim
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. roll — a list
  24. bat — the animal

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