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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fork — in a road
  3. net — for catching
  4. pop — to visit
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. net — in sport
  7. spell — letters
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — for a lock
  11. prune — to trim
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spell — a short time
  14. band — a ring
  15. pop — soda
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. band — a music group
  20. sharp — clever
  21. net — after costs
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pop — 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