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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. spell — magic
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. race — a contest
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. race — the arms race
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — a match
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spell — letters
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wound — an injury
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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