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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. prune — to trim
  4. swing — to play on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. club — for golf
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kick — in football
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pop — music
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. club — a group
  18. pop — soda
  19. fall — to drop
  20. prune — to trim
  21. club — for dancing
  22. fall — the season
  23. swing — music
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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