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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fine — all right
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. spell — letters
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fine — high quality
  7. spell — magic
  8. race — the arms race
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mark — a grade
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. race — humankind
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. sharp — with an edge

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