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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bat — the animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitch — completely
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. track — to keep track
  9. key — for a lock
  10. track — a path
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. key — in music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. track — a song
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. prune — to trim
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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