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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. last — to go on
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fork — in a road
  5. last — finally
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. prune — to trim
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. row — a line
  12. last — final
  13. row — to paddle
  14. race — a contest
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. race — humankind
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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