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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: can · race · ground · hide · plane · net · land · last

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. ground — a position
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. land — to come down
  8. last — final
  9. can — to be able to
  10. net — for catching
  11. race — a contest
  12. plane — a tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. land — a country
  15. ground — the earth
  16. net — in sport
  17. last — to go on
  18. land — ground
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. ground — crushed
  22. net — after costs
  23. can — a tin
  24. last — finally

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