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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. key — the most important part
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. key — in music
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rock — music
  9. bat — the animal
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pop — music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rock — a stone
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. spring — a coil
  24. deal — to handle

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