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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pop — to visit
  3. race — humankind
  4. pop — music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. staff — a stick
  10. race — a contest
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. staff — employees
  13. race — the arms race
  14. spell — magic
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. band — a music group
  17. spell — letters
  18. staff — employees
  19. band — a ring
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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