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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: land · staff · chair · row · season · race · bowl · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. season — in sport
  3. race — the arms race
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. staff — a stick
  8. row — a line
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. race — a contest
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. race — humankind
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. plane — a tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. chair — a leader
  22. staff — employees
  23. land — ground
  24. row — a quarrel

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