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

Word bank: snap · ground · club · prune · toast · pit · fan · mate

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mate — a partner
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. club — a group
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — the earth
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. snap — to click
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mate — a friend
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. club — for golf
  24. fan — to cool the air

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