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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 120 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. race — humankind
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — ground
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. plane — a tool
  7. spell — letters
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. race — the arms race
  10. object — to protest
  11. game — wild animals
  12. land — a country
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — a thing
  15. race — a contest
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. land — to come down
  18. spell — a short time
  19. saw — the tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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