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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wound — an injury
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. object — a thing
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. race — a contest
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lie — to recline
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pass — a permit
  16. race — humankind
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. object — an aim
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. object — to protest
  24. prune — to trim

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