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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. mine — for digging
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to click
  10. object — a thing
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. saw — the tool
  13. object — to protest
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. key — in music
  21. capital — money
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. capital — a city
  24. saw — the tool

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