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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spell — magic
  4. roll — a cake
  5. cue — for pool
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. roll — a list
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bark — to shout
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bat — the animal
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. spell — letters
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bat — for baseball

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