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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. spell — magic
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. drill — army training
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. race — a contest
  8. rock — a stone
  9. drill — the tool
  10. date — the fruit
  11. spell — a short time
  12. staff — a stick
  13. clip — a video
  14. staff — employees
  15. rock — music
  16. clip — for paper
  17. race — humankind
  18. drill — a practice
  19. staff — employees
  20. mark — a grade
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. spell — letters
  23. mark — a trace
  24. date — on the calendar

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