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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. swing — to play on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a face
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. swing — in golf
  13. key — the most important part
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mug — a cup
  18. key — in music
  19. swing — music
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stock — shares
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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