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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: bear · wind · race · date · plane · shower · pitcher · swing

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. swing — music
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. race — humankind
  17. swing — in golf
  18. plane — a tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bear — the animal
  24. race — a contest

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