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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. file — a document
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wind — moving air
  6. file — a tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. season — in sport
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. prune — to trim
  14. roll — a list
  15. season — of the year
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. file — a line of people
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. roll — a cake
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. key — in music
  24. date — the fruit

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