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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. craft — boats
  4. cue — a signal
  5. race — a contest
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. spell — letters
  8. race — humankind
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cue — for pool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spell — a short time
  13. race — the arms race
  14. spell — magic
  15. craft — a skill
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chest — a box
  20. ball — a dance
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rash — on the skin

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