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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rush — hurry
  5. race — a contest
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. race — the arms race
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. race — humankind
  11. capital — money
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. net — for catching
  16. spell — a short time
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. charge — in control
  20. capital — a city
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. charge — a price
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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