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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. race — a contest
  3. chip — to eat
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bass — low music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — a break
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bass — the fish
  17. race — the arms race
  18. season — in sport
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. race — humankind
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — army training
  24. rest — what's left

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