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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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 — letters
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. cue — a signal
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. mate — a partner
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. spell — magic
  10. prune — to trim
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — to breed
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cue — a hint
  23. mate — a friend
  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