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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 116 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. season — in sport
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. club — for golf
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. club — for dancing
  17. last — final
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — high quality
  20. last — to go on
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. last — finally
  23. fine — all right
  24. ruler — for measuring

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