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

Word bank: race · rash · game · cap · bay · plane · tear · fork

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. game — wild animals
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rash — a series
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. race — a contest
  20. game — a match
  21. race — humankind
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rash — on the skin

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