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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. spell — letters
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spell — magic
  5. last — final
  6. race — the arms race
  7. suit — clothes
  8. race — a contest
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. race — humankind
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. suit — to fit
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mate — to breed
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. last — to go on
  24. suit — in cards

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