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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — in music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. key — the most important part
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. staff — a stick
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. prune — to trim
  13. staff — employees
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — a hole
  17. rash — a series
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wake — a trail
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rash — on the skin

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