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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spring — a coil
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spring — the season
  12. club — a group
  13. prune — to trim
  14. club — for golf
  15. spring — of water
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. scale — in music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. object — an aim
  21. kid — child
  22. sharp — clever
  23. kid — to tease
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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