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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wake — a trail
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. prune — to trim
  6. race — humankind
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rest — what's left
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. prune — to trim
  11. race — a contest
  12. rash — a series
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rest — a break
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ground — a position
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. race — the arms race

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