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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. race — humankind
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — a face
  5. spell — magic
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. race — the arms race
  12. club — for golf
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mate — to breed
  19. club — a group
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mate — a friend
  24. race — a contest

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