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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. race — a contest
  3. key — the most important part
  4. spell — a short time
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bound — tied together
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. spell — magic
  9. pit — in a race
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. race — humankind
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. key — for a lock
  19. snap — to click
  20. spell — letters
  21. race — the arms race
  22. key — in music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pit — a hole

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