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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. club — for golf
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mug — to rob
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mug — a cup
  13. snap — to click
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mug — a face
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. cold — an illness
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cap — a hat
  24. ball — a dance

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