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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. kid — to tease
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. club — a group
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. spring — of water
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. club — for dancing
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rash — a series
  12. spring — the season
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kid — child
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — hasty
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pound — a weight

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