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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mug — a face
  4. foot — a measure
  5. game — a match
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — the sport
  10. spell — letters
  11. race — the arms race
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chest — of your body
  14. spell — magic
  15. race — humankind
  16. chest — a box
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mug — a cup
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mug — to rob
  21. squash — to crush
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. race — a contest
  24. game — a kind of play

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