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

Word bank: spell · bowl · race · last · snap · court · pound · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. race — a contest
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. snap — to click
  6. last — to go on
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. firm — steady
  9. pound — a weight
  10. last — finally
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. court — of a king
  17. spell — a short time
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. race — humankind
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. last — final

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