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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. spell — letters
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. track — to keep track
  7. race — humankind
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rest — a break
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fork — in a road
  16. track — a path
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. track — a song
  20. spell — magic
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. capital — money

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