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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cell — in biology
  4. swing — music
  5. race — a contest
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mate — to breed
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. prune — to trim
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mate — a friend
  17. snap — to click
  18. key — in music
  19. race — the arms race
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. key — the most important part
  22. swing — in golf
  23. race — humankind
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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