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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · cue · firm · spell · content · game · chair · race

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. firm — decided
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. firm — steady
  5. content — the amount
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. game — a match
  10. race — humankind
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cue — a hint
  16. content — happy
  17. game — wild animals
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rash — a series
  21. race — the arms race
  22. firm — a company
  23. rash — on the skin
  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