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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. club — for dancing
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cold — an illness
  8. club — a group
  9. suit — clothes
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. prune — to trim
  14. last — finally
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. club — for golf
  17. spell — magic
  18. cold — not warm
  19. suit — in cards
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pass — a permit
  24. suit — to fit

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