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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. net — after costs
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. march — the month
  9. race — a contest
  10. swing — music
  11. net — for catching
  12. wake — a trail
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. march — music
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. net — in sport
  21. race — humankind
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. prune — to trim

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