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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — an aim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. file — a document
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. key — the most important part
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. clip — for paper
  11. file — a tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pop — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. key — in music
  16. season — of the year
  17. pop — soda
  18. file — a line of people
  19. clip — a video
  20. season — in sport
  21. mate — to breed
  22. key — for a lock
  23. object — to protest
  24. pop — to visit

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