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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. land — ground
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. land — to come down
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. land — a country
  9. spell — letters
  10. shower — rain
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. craft — boats
  13. race — humankind
  14. rule — government
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. race — a contest
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. shower — to wash
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rule — a law
  24. cell — in a prison

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