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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: bowl · plane · deal · face · race · chest · swing · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. race — the arms race
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. race — humankind
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spring — a coil
  11. race — a contest
  12. swing — music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spring — the season
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. swing — to play on
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bowl — to roll

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