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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. race — the arms race
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. march — the month
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fine — all right
  7. last — to go on
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. march — music
  11. spell — magic
  12. fine — high quality
  13. last — final
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. race — humankind
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. race — a contest
  21. spell — a short time
  22. last — finally
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. straw — a straw man

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