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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chest — of your body
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. charge — in control
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. race — humankind
  11. spell — a short time
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mate — to breed
  14. craft — boats
  15. snap — to click
  16. race — a contest
  17. chest — a box
  18. charge — a price
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mate — a partner
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. craft — a skill
  24. wind — moving air

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