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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · squash · temple · race · prune · pop · racket · deal

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. race — humankind
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pop — to visit
  7. race — the arms race
  8. deal — to handle
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pop — music
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. race — a contest
  15. pop — soda
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. squash — to crush
  20. prune — to trim
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. squash — the sport
  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