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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 124 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. can — to be able to
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. row — to paddle
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. row — a line
  10. can — a tin
  11. race — a contest
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mark — a grade
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spell — letters
  19. prune — to trim
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. chip — to eat
  22. race — humankind
  23. kick — in football
  24. can — a tin

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