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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. race — a contest
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cue — for pool
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cold — an illness
  9. prune — to trim
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cue — a hint
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cold — not warm
  17. race — humankind
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cue — a signal

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