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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. march — the month
  3. spell — letters
  4. pop — soda
  5. pass — a permit
  6. club — for golf
  7. pop — to visit
  8. club — for dancing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pop — music
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rash — hasty
  15. sharp — clever
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. spell — magic
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. club — a group

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