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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. roll — a list
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. capital — money
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. race — humankind
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. race — the arms race
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rest — a break
  19. capital — a city
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. race — a contest
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rest — what's left
  24. roll — on a roll

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