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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. band — a music group
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. charge — a price
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — a short time
  11. race — humankind
  12. charge — electricity
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a ring
  15. charge — in control
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. race — a contest
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. fine — all right
  21. spell — letters
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wound — an injury
  24. race — the arms race

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