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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. track — a song
  3. club — a group
  4. track — to keep track
  5. club — for golf
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. degree — an amount
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. prune — to trim
  16. present — there
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pass — a permit
  19. track — a path
  20. club — for dancing
  21. degree — temperature
  22. tear — from crying
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. chair — a professorship

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