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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. race — humankind
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. can — a tin
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. race — a contest
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. race — the arms race
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. snap — to click
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — for sport

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