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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. snap — to click
  3. spell — letters
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bound — certain
  8. spell — a short time
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wound — an injury
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. mate — a partner
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mate — a friend
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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