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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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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 · race · roll · pass · date · field · bay · squash

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pass — a permit
  3. squash — to crush
  4. date — the fruit
  5. field — a subject
  6. race — a contest
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. field — for sport
  9. race — humankind
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — the sport
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. field — farmland
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. plane — a tool
  19. race — the arms race
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. roll — a list

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