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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. staff — a stick
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. club — a group
  10. last — finally
  11. file — a document
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rock — a stone
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. club — for golf
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. club — for dancing
  22. staff — employees
  23. file — a tool
  24. last — final

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