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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. sharp — clever
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mark — a trace
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mark — a grade
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a music group
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mine — for digging
  15. band — a ring
  16. race — a contest
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. prune — to trim
  21. race — humankind
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. squash — the vegetable

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