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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. race — humankind
  3. tube — a container
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bore — to tire
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cue — a hint
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. board — a committee
  13. race — a contest
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. bore — to drill
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chair — a leader
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cue — for pool

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