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

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. race — a contest
  4. prune — to trim
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kid — child
  7. prune — to trim
  8. net — for catching
  9. kid — to tease
  10. net — in sport
  11. race — the arms race
  12. land — to come down
  13. net — after costs
  14. land — a country
  15. staff — employees
  16. race — humankind
  17. land — ground
  18. staff — employees

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