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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mate — a friend
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mate — a partner
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — for a lock
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. roll — a list
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. mate — to breed
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wind — moving air
  24. roll — a cake

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