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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. court — of law
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bear — the animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. race — humankind
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. race — a contest
  20. bear — the animal
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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