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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: rule · race · nail · bowl · season · wound · plane · perch

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. perch — the fish
  3. race — humankind
  4. wound — an injury
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. race — a contest
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rule — government
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. season — in sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. race — the arms race

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