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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lie — to recline
  3. race — humankind
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pop — music
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pop — to visit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. date — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. object — an aim
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. object — to protest
  20. row — to paddle
  21. object — a thing
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. row — a line
  24. pop — soda

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