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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fine — all right
  3. club — for golf
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — a group
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. capital — a city
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — to grow
  15. race — the arms race
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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