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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · plane · deal · chair · fall · stick

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. plane — a tool
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chair — a leader
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. fall — the season
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a professorship

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