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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. race — humankind
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mate — a partner
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. club — for golf
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bear — the animal
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mate — to breed
  19. club — a group
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. club — for dancing
  22. kid — child
  23. mate — a friend
  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