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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: rush · race · plane · content · bat · rule · deal · season

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. rule — a law
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rule — government
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. content — happy
  8. bat — the animal
  9. plane — a tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. content — the amount
  14. season — in sport
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rush — hurry
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. race — a contest
  20. season — of the year
  21. deal — to handle
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. content — videos and posts

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