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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. spell — magic
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. content — the amount
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. craft — boats
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. content — happy
  11. spell — a short time
  12. race — a contest
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. race — humankind
  15. bear — the animal
  16. dip — to sink
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spell — letters
  21. craft — a skill
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. race — the arms race
  24. row — a line

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