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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rash — a series
  6. race — humankind
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. spell — letters
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. race — a contest
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — the arms race
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bulb — of a plant

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