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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. craft — a skill
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bark — to shout
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. hand — help
  22. craft — boats
  23. ball — a great time
  24. hand — part of the body

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