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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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Word bank
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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 · pit · game · key · rash · snap · race · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to click
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rash — hasty
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. race — humankind
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fine — high quality
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pit — in a race
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pit — a hole
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. race — a contest
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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