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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spell — letters
  3. race — a contest
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. race — humankind
  6. chair — a leader
  7. capital — money
  8. shower — rain
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. race — the arms race
  11. charge — a price
  12. spell — magic
  13. capital — a city
  14. shower — to wash
  15. charge — in control
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. charge — electricity
  21. squash — the sport
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spell — a short time
  24. squash — to crush

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