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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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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: cue · cabinet · cold · jam · rush · race · club · prune

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cold — an illness
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. club — for golf
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cue — a signal
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. rush — hurry
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. cue — for pool
  24. race — humankind

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