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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. club — a group
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. swing — music
  5. net — after costs
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. net — in sport
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. net — for catching
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. race — a contest
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. trunk — of a car

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