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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. shower — rain
  8. race — the arms race
  9. key — for a lock
  10. spell — letters
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pass — a permit
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. spell — a short time
  19. race — a contest
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. key — in music
  22. capital — a city
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. capital — money

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