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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — in control
  4. cell — in biology
  5. object — an aim
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. object — a thing
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lean — thin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rash — a series
  15. cell — a phone
  16. race — a contest
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. squash — to crush
  19. charge — a price
  20. race — the arms race
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rash — hasty
  23. race — humankind
  24. prune — to trim

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