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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. key — for a lock
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pass — a permit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — in music
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. degree — an amount
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pit — a hole
  22. deal — to handle
  23. key — the most important part
  24. trunk — of a car

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