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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. field — for sport
  4. key — in music
  5. face — to point toward
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. field — farmland
  8. key — the most important part
  9. dip — to sink
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. toast — bread
  13. court — for sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — of a king
  16. face — to confront
  17. court — of law
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. field — a subject
  21. face — part of the head
  22. key — for a lock
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. dip — a sauce

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