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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. hand — in cards
  6. content — the amount
  7. object — to protest
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. hand — help
  10. content — happy
  11. ground — crushed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. object — a thing
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. staff — employees
  19. key — the most important part
  20. ground — a position
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. staff — employees
  23. prune — to trim
  24. staff — a stick

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