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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — happy
  5. ball — a great time
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. key — in music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. key — for a lock
  19. drill — the tool
  20. content — the amount
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — army training
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. ball — a round shape

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