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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spell — a short time
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chest — of your body
  5. race — the arms race
  6. chest — a box
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. key — the most important part
  9. race — a contest
  10. key — in music
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — the season
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. game — wild animals
  17. squash — the sport
  18. race — humankind
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. squash — to crush

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