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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 120 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — certain
  9. board — to get on
  10. prune — to trim
  11. board — a committee
  12. hand — help
  13. bound — tied together
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rest — a break
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rest — what's left
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ground — a position

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