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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pop — soda
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. shower — rain
  9. race — a contest
  10. pop — music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. prune — to trim
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. prune — to trim
  18. last — final
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. scale — in music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cabinet — ministers

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