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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. prune — to trim
  3. key — the most important part
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spring — a coil
  6. key — in music
  7. pop — music
  8. firm — decided
  9. pop — soda
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cap — a lid
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cap — of ice
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. key — for a lock
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. club — a group
  20. firm — steady
  21. pop — to visit
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. firm — a company

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