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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: race · squash · spell · key · sharp · calf · fan · drill

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. drill — the tool
  4. squash — the sport
  5. key — for a lock
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. key — in music
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — to crush
  14. spell — magic
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. key — the most important part
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. drill — a practice
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. race — humankind
  24. drill — army training

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