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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. drill — a practice
  3. chip — to eat
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. object — a thing
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — the most important part
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chip — for betting
  11. object — to protest
  12. drill — army training
  13. spring — the season
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pop — music
  17. object — an aim
  18. spring — a coil
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pop — soda
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spring — of water

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