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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. ball — a dance
  4. spell — letters
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. row — a line
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spell — a short time
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. snap — to click
  11. race — humankind
  12. spell — magic
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. row — to paddle
  17. race — the arms race
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. race — a contest
  21. pass — a permit
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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