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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. race — a contest
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. race — the arms race
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. shower — rain
  13. race — humankind
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — to wash
  21. sharp — clever
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. patient — a sick person

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