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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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a line of people
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. scale — in music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — the most important part
  11. file — a tool
  12. rest — a break
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pit — in a race
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kick — in football
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. file — a document
  23. key — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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