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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. race — the arms race
  6. snap — to click
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. race — humankind
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. staff — a stick
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kid — child
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. race — a contest
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — a series
  24. lean — thin

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