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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. race — a contest
  3. spell — letters
  4. last — finally
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spell — magic
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. last — to go on
  11. current — of water
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. content — the amount
  15. vault — a safe
  16. last — final
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. content — happy
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. spell — a short time
  22. current — happening now
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. current — electric

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