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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — the month
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. march — music
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. key — in music
  9. present — the time now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. squash — to crush
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. march — the month
  14. chest — a box
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. key — the most important part
  17. present — there
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. present — a gift
  20. pound — a weight
  21. squash — the sport
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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