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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 · race · drill · fork · snap · mate · bound · squash

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bound — certain
  4. mate — a friend
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. mate — a partner
  7. spell — a short time
  8. fork — in a road
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. race — a contest
  13. mate — to breed
  14. race — humankind
  15. squash — to crush
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. squash — the sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. spell — letters
  21. drill — army training
  22. bound — obliged
  23. drill — the tool
  24. spell — magic

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