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

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. prune — to trim
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. track — a path
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chair — a leader
  9. track — a song
  10. key — in music
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rule — government
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pit — a hole
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rule — a law
  24. track — to keep track

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