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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. object — a thing
  6. last — final
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. prune — to trim
  9. club — for golf
  10. rule — a law
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. last — finally
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. object — an aim
  16. club — for dancing
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rule — government
  20. object — to protest
  21. last — to go on
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. prune — to trim

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