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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: prune · squash · deal · pit · cap · race · bat · bear

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. race — humankind
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bear — the animal
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bat — the animal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. deal — to handle
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pit — in a race
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cap — of ice
  24. race — a contest

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