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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. race — humankind
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spell — a short time
  7. net — for catching
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pop — soda
  11. spell — magic
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hand — help
  14. pop — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spell — letters
  17. net — after costs
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. net — in sport
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bound — certain
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bound — tied together

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