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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. race — the arms race
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. snap — to click
  5. prune — to trim
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. season — in sport
  8. race — humankind
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. prune — to trim
  14. race — a contest
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. chair — a leader
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fork — in a road
  21. season — of the year
  22. shower — rain
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chair — a professorship

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