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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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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: foot · wave · race · clip · bat · plane · game · pit

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. plane — a tool
  4. race — the arms race
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bat — the animal
  7. race — humankind
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. clip — for paper
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. clip — a video
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. game — wild animals
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. race — a contest
  19. clip — to cut
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. game — a match
  24. plane — an aircraft

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