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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. staff — a stick
  4. scale — size or range
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. staff — employees
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. track — to keep track
  10. prune — to trim
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. key — in music
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. fine — high quality
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. staff — employees
  18. fine — all right
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. key — the most important part
  22. scale — in music
  23. track — a song
  24. prune — to trim

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