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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pop — to visit
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pop — music
  6. foot — a measure
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. race — a contest
  9. prune — to trim
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pop — soda
  12. bat — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mate — a friend
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mate — a partner
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. race — the arms race

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