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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. scale — in music
  4. last — final
  5. march — the month
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. prune — to trim
  8. last — to go on
  9. kid — to tease
  10. march — the month
  11. kid — child
  12. prune — to trim
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. march — music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. object — an aim
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. object — to protest
  20. last — finally
  21. object — a thing
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. key — for a lock
  24. prune — the fruit

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