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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. deal — to handle
  3. key — the most important part
  4. toast — bread
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. key — in music
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. content — the amount
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. toast — the most admired

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