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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. suit — clothes
  3. key — in music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. suit — to fit
  6. key — the most important part
  7. suit — in cards
  8. game — a match
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. prune — to trim
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. branch — a division
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. prune — to trim
  17. game — wild animals
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. kid — to tease
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. key — for a lock
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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