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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — for golf
  3. pound — a weight
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cue — a hint
  7. track — a song
  8. prune — to trim
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. track — a path
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cue — for pool

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