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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. firm — steady
  4. spell — letters
  5. firm — decided
  6. spell — magic
  7. degree — temperature
  8. race — the arms race
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. race — humankind
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. last — to go on
  18. firm — a company
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. last — final
  22. race — a contest
  23. spell — a short time
  24. last — finally

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