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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pass — a permit
  5. key — the most important part
  6. chair — a leader
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — in cards
  9. squash — to crush
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. prune — to trim
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hand — help
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. key — in music
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pass — to succeed

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