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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tube — a container
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. court — of a king
  9. sharp — clever
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. court — for sport
  12. wake — a trail
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. snap — to click
  16. race — humankind
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. tube — the underground
  21. court — of law
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. race — a contest
  24. hide — animal skin

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