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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. race — humankind
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. plane — a tool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lean — to bend
  17. clip — for paper
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bat — the animal
  20. clip — a video
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lean — thin
  24. plane — an aircraft

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