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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. fine — all right
  3. ground — crushed
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. current — happening now
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. court — for sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — of water
  11. court — of law
  12. spring — the season
  13. rock — music
  14. current — of water
  15. ground — a position
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. court — of a king
  18. ground — the earth
  19. prune — to trim
  20. current — electric
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fine — high quality

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