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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cue — a signal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. key — in music
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. key — for a lock
  13. prune — to trim
  14. toast — bread
  15. plane — a tool
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cue — a hint
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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