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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wound — an injury
  3. key — for a lock
  4. object — a thing
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rule — a law
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. key — in music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. club — for golf
  16. rule — government
  17. prune — to trim
  18. object — to protest
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. object — an aim
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. club — a group

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