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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: club · present · field · race · dip · plane · mate · racket

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mate — a friend
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. race — humankind
  5. field — a subject
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. present — there
  9. club — for golf
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mate — a partner
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. race — a contest
  15. dip — to sink
  16. present — the time now
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mate — to breed
  19. field — for sport
  20. present — a gift
  21. field — farmland
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. club — a group

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