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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spell — a short time
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. can — a tin
  7. spell — magic
  8. kid — child
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. kid — to tease
  11. key — in music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. key — the most important part
  14. court — of a king
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. can — a tin
  19. court — of law
  20. race — humankind
  21. court — for sport
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. can — to be able to
  24. key — for a lock

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