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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. track — to keep track
  6. race — a contest
  7. prune — to trim
  8. race — the arms race
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. date — the fruit
  11. net — in sport
  12. kick — in football
  13. net — after costs
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ball — a great time
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. track — a path
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. net — for catching
  20. ball — a dance
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. race — humankind
  24. track — a song

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