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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. key — for a lock
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pop — soda
  6. track — to keep track
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — a position
  9. squash — the sport
  10. degree — from a university
  11. prune — to trim
  12. key — the most important part
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. squash — to crush
  15. track — a path
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pop — to visit
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pop — music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. key — in music
  23. track — a song
  24. degree — an amount

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