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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pitch — completely
  3. race — the arms race
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. race — a contest
  8. spell — a short time
  9. race — humankind
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. spell — magic
  12. squash — the sport
  13. spell — letters
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stem — to come from
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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