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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rock — music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. race — humankind
  7. spell — letters
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — in music
  10. object — a thing
  11. race — the arms race
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. prune — to trim
  16. object — an aim
  17. scale — size or range
  18. foot — a measure
  19. object — to protest
  20. race — a contest
  21. rock — a stone
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mate — a partner
  24. prune — the fruit

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