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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. toast — bread
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. cell — in biology
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ground — the earth
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ground — crushed
  12. key — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ground — a position
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. key — the most important part
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mine — for digging
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ball — a great time
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. jam — a tight spot

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