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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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Word bank
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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: race · sharp · club · squash · prune · ball · straw · pass

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. ball — a dance
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. squash — to crush
  7. club — for dancing
  8. ball — a great time
  9. club — for golf
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. race — humankind
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pass — a permit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. sharp — clever
  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