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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. race — the arms race
  3. spell — a short time
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spring — of water
  6. fork — in a road
  7. spell — letters
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. band — a music group
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. spring — the season
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mug — a face
  14. spring — a coil
  15. race — humankind
  16. spell — magic
  17. band — a ring
  18. mug — a cup
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. race — a contest
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. vault — a safe

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