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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. race — humankind
  3. fine — all right
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. race — the arms race
  10. fine — high quality
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. race — a contest
  13. pound — a weight
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. present — there
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lie — to recline
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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