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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. fall — the season
  3. race — the arms race
  4. deal — to handle
  5. land — a country
  6. bound — obliged
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. can — to be able to
  11. race — a contest
  12. can — a tin
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spell — magic
  16. bound — tied together
  17. march — the month
  18. can — a tin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — certain
  22. race — humankind
  23. march — music
  24. land — ground

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