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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. firm — a company
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. field — farmland
  5. firm — steady
  6. file — a tool
  7. firm — decided
  8. file — a document
  9. rash — hasty
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rash — a series
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. scale — in music
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. scale — size or range
  17. field — a subject
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. key — the most important part
  20. field — for sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. file — a line of people
  24. key — in music

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