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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. key — in music
  8. charge — a price
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. key — the most important part
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. key — for a lock
  15. charge — electricity
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cold — not warm
  22. deal — to handle
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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