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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. club — for golf
  3. cue — a signal
  4. race — the arms race
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. club — for dancing
  10. race — humankind
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — electricity
  17. mate — a partner
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — to wash
  20. prune — to trim
  21. charge — in control
  22. race — a contest
  23. club — a group
  24. bass — the instrument

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