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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. track — a song
  3. hand — in cards
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. net — for catching
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. race — a contest
  11. bear — the animal
  12. net — after costs
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. net — in sport
  15. drill — the tool
  16. track — a path
  17. hand — help
  18. drill — army training
  19. spell — magic
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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