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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. spell — a short time
  4. object — to protest
  5. rule — government
  6. race — the arms race
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. object — a thing
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rule — a law
  14. spell — magic
  15. bound — tied together
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. object — an aim
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. bound — certain
  22. spell — letters
  23. bound — obliged
  24. court — for sport

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