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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. chip — to eat
  3. race — a contest
  4. ground — a position
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. ground — crushed
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bass — low music
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. ground — the earth
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitch — completely
  24. plane — a tool

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