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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. prune — to trim
  3. club — for dancing
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. object — a thing
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pop — soda
  9. club — a group
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. object — an aim
  14. rash — a series
  15. pop — to visit
  16. club — for golf
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. object — to protest
  19. plane — a tool
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pop — music
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. deal — a big deal

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