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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · fan · current · race · racket · drill · rule · rash

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. plane — a tool
  5. race — humankind
  6. rash — hasty
  7. race — a contest
  8. current — happening now
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. current — electric
  12. drill — the tool
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. rash — a series
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. current — of water
  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