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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fine — high quality
  6. ground — crushed
  7. board — to get on
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. prune — to trim
  12. key — for a lock
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. key — in music
  15. ground — a position
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. board — a committee
  18. game — a match
  19. rest — a break
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. fine — all right
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fine — a penalty
  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