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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. kid — to tease
  3. plane — a tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. race — the arms race
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. land — a country
  9. race — a contest
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. squash — to crush
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. race — humankind
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. sharp — clever
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kid — child
  24. nail — on a finger

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