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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. club — a group
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pass — a permit
  12. club — for golf
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pop — music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. prune — to trim
  24. racket — for tennis

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