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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. staff — employees
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rash — a series
  10. race — humankind
  11. bank — for money
  12. staff — employees
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bank — for money
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fall — the season
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kid — child

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