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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. race — a contest
  5. spring — a coil
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spell — letters
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spell — magic
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. perch — the fish
  16. last — to go on
  17. spring — of water
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spring — the season
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. race — the arms race

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