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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. present — there
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. content — happy
  5. board — a committee
  6. pop — to visit
  7. key — in music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pop — soda
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. content — the amount
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. present — the time now
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. present — a gift

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