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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. prune — to trim
  4. club — for dancing
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. ball — a dance
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lie — to recline
  11. club — for golf
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. spring — of water
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. club — a group

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