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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. board — a committee
  3. race — humankind
  4. staff — employees
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. ball — a great time
  8. race — the arms race
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. chair — a leader
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ball — a dance
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. race — a contest
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. staff — employees
  24. chair — to sit on

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