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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mark — a trace
  3. shower — rain
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. race — a contest
  6. content — happy
  7. spell — magic
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. season — of the year
  11. spell — letters
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. race — humankind
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. shower — to wash
  18. season — in sport
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mark — a grade
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bark — to shout
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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