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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. row — a line
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. row — to paddle
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. track — a path
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. track — a song
  15. net — for catching
  16. track — to keep track
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. net — in sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. race — the arms race
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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