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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. spell — magic
  3. lie — to recline
  4. row — to paddle
  5. race — the arms race
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bound — tied together
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. race — a contest
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. shower — rain
  15. race — humankind
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bound — obliged
  19. row — a line
  20. branch — a division
  21. bound — certain
  22. season — of the year
  23. shower — to wash
  24. spell — letters

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