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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. key — the most important part
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. present — there
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. capital — money
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mark — a trace
  11. key — for a lock
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. present — the time now
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. prune — to trim
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. capital — a city
  19. mark — a grade
  20. present — a gift
  21. key — in music
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. prune — to trim
  24. swing — in golf

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