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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pound — a weight
  7. track — a path
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. track — to keep track
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. spell — letters
  18. snap — to click
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. track — a song
  22. race — the arms race
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. ground — crushed

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