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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. club — for golf
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. prune — to trim
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. date — the fruit
  12. land — a country
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. track — a path
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — to come down
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cue — a signal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. land — ground
  23. track — to keep track
  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