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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — of the year
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — goods
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stock — shares
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. season — in sport
  16. rest — what's left
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — to trim
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rest — a break

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