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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bound — tied together
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pop — to visit
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. race — a contest
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lean — thin
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. squash — to crush
  13. race — the arms race
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chip — to eat
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bound — certain
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chip — in a computer

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