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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. present — the time now
  6. charge — a price
  7. row — a line
  8. stock — shares
  9. present — there
  10. row — to paddle
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. stock — goods
  14. snap — to click
  15. prune — to trim
  16. present — a gift
  17. bound — obliged
  18. prune — to trim
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bound — tied together
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bound — certain
  23. charge — in control
  24. race — humankind

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