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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pop — to visit
  5. sharp — clever
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bound — tied together
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pop — music
  11. hand — help
  12. bound — obliged
  13. key — for a lock
  14. prune — to trim
  15. key — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bound — certain
  21. pop — soda
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. hand — in cards
  24. sharp — with an edge

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