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

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. race — the arms race
  3. prune — to trim
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. staff — a stick
  6. race — humankind
  7. track — a song
  8. mate — a friend
  9. prune — to trim
  10. game — a match
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. branch — a division
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mate — a partner
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. staff — employees
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. race — a contest
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — a path

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