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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: club · current · game · bowl · cabinet · season · race · plane

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. game — a match
  4. club — a group
  5. plane — a tool
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — happening now
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. current — electric
  12. season — in sport
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. current — of water
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. race — a contest
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. race — the arms race
  21. season — of the year
  22. game — wild animals
  23. race — humankind
  24. plane — in geometry

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