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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.

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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: bat · plane · hide · squash · race · charge · mark · rock

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. race — humankind
  6. charge — electricity
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. charge — in control
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rock — music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. plane — a tool
  15. race — a contest
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rock — a stone
  21. charge — a price
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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