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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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 — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wake — a trail
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chip — for betting
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. race — humankind
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. prune — to trim
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. prune — to trim
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitch — completely
  23. chip — to eat
  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