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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. race — the arms race
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. present — a gift
  5. wound — an injury
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. key — for a lock
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. race — humankind
  12. key — the most important part
  13. race — a contest
  14. wound — an injury
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. present — the time now
  18. key — in music
  19. present — there
  20. pit — in a race
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pit — a hole
  24. straw — dry grass

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