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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spell — a short time
  4. present — a gift
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cell — in biology
  9. drill — army training
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — magic
  12. present — there
  13. cell — a phone
  14. race — humankind
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — a company
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. race — a contest
  21. present — the time now
  22. race — the arms race
  23. firm — decided
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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