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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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. race — humankind
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. content — the amount
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wound — an injury
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — a contest
  18. prune — to trim
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — happy
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — to trim

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