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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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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. key — in music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. key — the most important part
  5. cap — a lid
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fall — the season
  10. content — the amount
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cap — of ice
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. content — happy
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. key — for a lock
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. squash — to crush
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rush — a thrill

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