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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 116 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. object — to protest
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spell — letters
  7. race — humankind
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. shower — to wash
  13. object — an aim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — a contest
  16. pass — a permit
  17. object — a thing
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spell — magic
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rest — a break
  24. shower — rain

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