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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 124 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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. content — the amount
  7. chest — of your body
  8. club — for dancing
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. prune — to trim
  11. race — humankind
  12. club — a group
  13. race — a contest
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. content — happy
  17. race — the arms race
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. dip — to sink
  20. prune — to trim
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. club — for golf

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