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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. spell — letters
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spell — a short time
  6. ground — a position
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. craft — boats
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. race — a contest
  13. spell — magic
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. ground — crushed
  17. race — humankind
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ground — the earth
  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