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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. prune — to trim
  4. key — for a lock
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. file — a document
  11. firm — steady
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. firm — decided
  14. season — of the year
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. firm — a company
  17. prune — to trim
  18. file — a tool
  19. hand — help
  20. season — in sport
  21. key — in music
  22. snap — to click
  23. hand — in cards
  24. prune — the fruit

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