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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. key — for a lock
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. prune — to trim
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. shower — rain
  12. rash — hasty
  13. key — in music
  14. pitch — completely
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. object — to protest
  17. rash — a series
  18. object — an aim
  19. key — the most important part
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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