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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. track — a song
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cap — of ice
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. key — for a lock
  7. track — a path
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cap — a hat
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. key — in music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cap — a lid

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