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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. race — a contest
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. season — in sport
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chair — a leader
  11. season — of the year
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. race — the arms race
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. fork — in a road
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. race — humankind
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fork — to eat with

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