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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mug — a cup
  4. snap — to click
  5. club — a group
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. club — for dancing
  8. prune — to trim
  9. root — the cause
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. root — of a plant
  13. race — a contest
  14. mug — to rob
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mug — a face
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. root — of a word

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