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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. firm — steady
  3. dip — to sink
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. race — the arms race
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. firm — decided
  12. spring — the season
  13. deal — to handle
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. spring — a coil
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. race — humankind
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. firm — a company
  21. spring — of water
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. prune — to trim
  24. court — of law

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