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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. key — for a lock
  6. spell — letters
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. key — in music
  10. file — a document
  11. squash — the sport
  12. row — a line
  13. race — a contest
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. file — a tool
  16. key — the most important part
  17. squash — to crush
  18. row — to paddle
  19. race — humankind
  20. spell — magic
  21. file — a line of people
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. safe — a strongbox

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