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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. race — the arms race
  6. spell — magic
  7. race — humankind
  8. lean — thin
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lean — to bend
  12. race — a contest
  13. kid — child
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spell — a short time
  17. squash — the sport
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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