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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: race · plane · prune · chip · lean · kid · cold · key

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. key — in music
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. kid — to tease
  6. plane — a tool
  7. chip — for betting
  8. race — a contest
  9. kid — child
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lean — thin
  13. race — humankind
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. race — the arms race
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — to bend
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chip — to eat
  24. prune — to trim

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