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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. current — electric
  3. race — a contest
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. field — a subject
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. field — for sport
  13. race — the arms race
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ground — the earth
  17. file — a line of people
  18. race — humankind
  19. ground — crushed
  20. field — farmland
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. ground — a position
  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