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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. race — the arms race
  5. last — final
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. spell — magic
  8. mark — a grade
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. race — a contest
  12. last — to go on
  13. rush — hurry
  14. race — humankind
  15. last — finally
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. shower — rain
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rock — music
  23. mark — a trace
  24. spell — letters

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