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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. snap — to click
  6. shower — rain
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. foot — a measure
  9. race — the arms race
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. race — humankind
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fine — all right
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wake — a trail
  19. roll — a list
  20. prune — to trim
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. roll — a cake
  23. prune — to trim
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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