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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · fine · cue · wind · last · club · chip · bore

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. last — to go on
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cue — a signal
  7. club — a group
  8. fine — all right
  9. last — final
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cue — for pool
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bore — to tire
  20. club — for golf
  21. last — finally
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. prune — to trim

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