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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cap — of ice
  3. race — humankind
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bass — low music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cap — a hat
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bass — the fish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cap — a lid
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. stand — to bear
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. race — a contest
  24. pitcher — a jug

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