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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 116 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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. key — the most important part
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spell — letters
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — a path
  9. last — final
  10. track — to keep track
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. key — in music
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. track — a song
  18. key — for a lock
  19. last — to go on
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — finally
  23. squash — the sport
  24. racket — for tennis

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