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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. last — finally
  6. pop — soda
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fine — all right
  9. charge — in control
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. last — to go on
  12. pop — music
  13. charge — electricity
  14. club — for golf
  15. charge — a price
  16. club — for dancing
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — humankind
  19. pop — to visit
  20. sharp — clever
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. last — final

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