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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. current — happening now
  3. spell — magic
  4. band — a ring
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — letters
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. race — the arms race
  14. track — a path
  15. race — a contest
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. track — a song
  21. current — of water
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a music group
  24. current — electric

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