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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fine — all right
  4. key — for a lock
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cell — in biology
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bark — to shout
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cell — a phone
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fine — high quality
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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