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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. spell — a short time
  3. race — a contest
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. race — humankind
  7. suit — to fit
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. ball — a great time
  13. row — a line
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. race — the arms race
  16. suit — clothes
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spell — magic
  19. suit — in cards
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spell — letters
  22. row — to paddle
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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