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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. staff — a stick
  5. spell — letters
  6. cue — for pool
  7. land — a country
  8. race — humankind
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. last — final
  11. staff — employees
  12. spell — magic
  13. land — ground
  14. club — for golf
  15. land — to come down
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cue — a signal
  19. staff — employees
  20. club — a group
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. race — a contest
  23. spell — a short time
  24. club — for dancing

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