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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. key — the most important part
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. net — in sport
  5. race — a contest
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. net — for catching
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. lean — thin
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pass — a permit
  14. board — a committee
  15. tear — to rip
  16. net — after costs
  17. board — to get on
  18. key — in music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. key — for a lock
  22. prune — to trim
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. race — humankind

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