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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. race — humankind
  4. prune — to trim
  5. club — a group
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tube — a container
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bore — to drill
  14. race — a contest
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bore — to tire
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. club — for golf
  21. game — a match
  22. rush — hurry
  23. race — the arms race
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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