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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fall — the season
  5. prune — to trim
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pitcher — a jug

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