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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mug — a face
  3. court — of a king
  4. prune — to trim
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rock — a stone
  7. race — a contest
  8. mug — to rob
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. shower — rain
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mug — a cup
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. race — humankind
  23. drill — army training
  24. rock — music

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