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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. race — the arms race
  5. hand — help
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. rule — government
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. ball — a great time
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. race — a contest
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spell — letters
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. race — humankind
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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