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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 116 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. club — for dancing
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. staff — a stick
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. last — final
  10. rest — what's left
  11. shower — rain
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — to go on
  18. staff — employees
  19. club — a group
  20. last — finally
  21. staff — employees
  22. club — for golf
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mate — to breed

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