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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kick — in football
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. prune — to trim
  9. club — a group
  10. land — to come down
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. tube — the underground
  17. land — ground
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. land — a country
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pass — to succeed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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