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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.

Words on the sheet
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. game — a match
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. key — the most important part
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. key — for a lock
  13. prune — to trim
  14. date — the fruit
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. game — wild animals
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. key — in music

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