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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. spell — magic
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. root — of a word
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spell — letters
  13. charge — electricity
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wind — moving air
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. charge — in control
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. charge — a price
  22. race — humankind
  23. hand — help
  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