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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 120 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cue — for pool
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wound — an injury
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cue — a signal
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. firm — steady
  19. cell — in biology
  20. firm — decided
  21. club — a group
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. firm — a company

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