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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. race — humankind
  3. prune — to trim
  4. race — a contest
  5. chair — a leader
  6. key — the most important part
  7. current — of water
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. key — in music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ground — a position
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. net — in sport
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. ground — crushed
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chair — a professorship
  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