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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. race — a contest
  4. swing — in golf
  5. race — humankind
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cap — of ice
  11. swing — to play on
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. swing — music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cap — a lid
  17. game — a match
  18. lie — to recline
  19. scale — in music
  20. cap — a hat
  21. spell — magic
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. scale — size or range
  24. spell — letters

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