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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. club — for golf
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. club — for dancing
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chip — for betting
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — decided
  17. chest — a box
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. kid — to tease
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. kid — child
  23. club — a group
  24. bat — in an idiom

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