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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. race — humankind
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spell — magic
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. can — a tin
  12. rest — what's left
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spell — a short time
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. race — a contest
  17. spell — letters
  18. rest — a break
  19. bass — low music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rest — what's left
  23. can — a tin
  24. racket — for tennis

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