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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. roll — a cake
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. spell — letters
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spell — a short time
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chip — for betting
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stand — to bear
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chip — to eat
  22. roll — a list
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. race — the arms race

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