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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. key — the most important part
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. club — for golf
  5. track — a song
  6. club — for dancing
  7. kid — to tease
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wake — a trail
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. key — in music
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. club — a group
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. key — for a lock
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — a path

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