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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: mouse · race · spell · last · swing · field · pass · chair

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. last — finally
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. spell — magic
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. field — a subject
  8. chair — a leader
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. last — to go on
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. last — final
  14. race — a contest
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. field — farmland
  19. swing — music
  20. pass — a permit
  21. spell — a short time
  22. swing — in golf
  23. field — for sport
  24. mouse — the animal

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