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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. key — the most important part
  4. field — for sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. key — for a lock
  7. face — to confront
  8. field — a subject
  9. hand — help
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. hand — in cards
  12. face — part of the head
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. key — in music
  17. face — to point toward
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. field — farmland
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. prune — to trim

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