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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.

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: game · mine · rock · race · mate · drill · plane · wake

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mate — a partner
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mine — for digging
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mate — a friend
  9. game — a match
  10. rock — a stone
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rock — music
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. drill — army training
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. race — the arms race
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mine — belonging to me

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