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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: straw · date · craft · mine · bay · plane · race · pit

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. plane — a tool
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. craft — boats
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pit — a hole
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. race — a contest
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. date — the fruit
  18. craft — a skill
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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