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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 · firm · object · cold · race · suit · row · ball

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. object — an aim
  6. race — humankind
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. firm — steady
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. row — a line
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. race — a contest
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. race — the arms race
  23. plane — a tool
  24. suit — clothes

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