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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. race — the arms race
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spell — magic
  6. race — a contest
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mug — a face
  9. game — wild animals
  10. kid — child
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mug — to rob
  13. roll — a cake
  14. game — a match
  15. roll — a list
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. spell — letters
  18. race — humankind

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