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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mark — a grade
  5. club — for dancing
  6. race — a contest
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. race — the arms race
  10. club — for golf
  11. land — ground
  12. race — humankind
  13. land — a country
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. press — a publisher
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. press — to push
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mark — a trace
  21. toast — bread
  22. press — newspapers
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. club — a group

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