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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. squash — to crush
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. firm — decided
  5. row — a line
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. firm — steady
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. firm — a company
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cold — an illness
  22. squash — the sport
  23. club — a group
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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