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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 you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rock — a stone
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. degree — an amount
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. race — humankind
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rule — a law
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. degree — from a university
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rule — government
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stem — to come from
  22. prune — to trim
  23. race — a contest
  24. ball — a great time

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