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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mug — a cup
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kid — child
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — in music
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. object — a thing
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. race — humankind
  13. mug — a face
  14. prune — to trim
  15. race — a contest
  16. mug — to rob
  17. key — for a lock
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. row — a line
  21. object — an aim
  22. row — to paddle
  23. race — the arms race
  24. object — to protest

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