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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cue — a signal
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. foot — a measure
  16. last — to go on
  17. race — a contest
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spell — a short time
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cue — a hint

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