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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: bat · game · fall · plane · face · board · pit · race

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fall — the season
  4. race — the arms race
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. race — humankind
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. board — a committee
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. face — part of the head
  17. board — to get on
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. race — a contest
  21. fall — to drop
  22. face — to confront
  23. plane — a tool
  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