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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. track — a path
  3. key — for a lock
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. track — a song
  11. degree — temperature
  12. key — in music
  13. club — a group
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rash — a series
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rash — hasty
  22. track — to keep track
  23. club — for golf
  24. prune — to trim

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