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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: ball · current · pit · race · spell · pass · last · shower

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pit — a hole
  3. last — to go on
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pit — in a race
  6. last — finally
  7. pass — a permit
  8. current — of water
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ball — a great time
  13. current — electric
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. race — a contest
  18. spell — magic
  19. last — final
  20. shower — rain
  21. race — humankind
  22. spell — a short time
  23. current — happening now
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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