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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. race — a contest
  3. spell — a short time
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. band — a ring
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. band — a music group
  22. spell — magic
  23. race — humankind
  24. racket — for tennis

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