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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. race — a contest
  3. last — to go on
  4. race — the arms race
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. last — final
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. ground — a position
  11. spell — magic
  12. race — humankind
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — letters
  15. last — finally
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ground — crushed
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. ground — the earth

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