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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. race — the arms race
  3. scale — in music
  4. spell — magic
  5. hand — help
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. rule — government
  12. scale — size or range
  13. spell — letters
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. race — humankind
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cap — a lid
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cap — a hat
  24. race — a contest

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