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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — decided
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. key — in music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. key — for a lock
  9. firm — steady
  10. drill — a practice
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. game — a match
  14. prune — to trim
  15. game — wild animals
  16. drill — army training
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bank — for money
  19. tear — to rip
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bank — of a river
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bank — for money

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