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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mug — a face
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — the month
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. object — a thing
  12. key — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. march — music
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wound — an injury
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — low music
  24. march — the month

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