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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. 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. court — of law
  2. race — the arms race
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — for sport
  7. file — a document
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mug — a face
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mug — to rob
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — magic
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. perch — the fish
  21. court — of a king
  22. race — a contest
  23. spell — letters
  24. 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