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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitch — completely
  6. key — in music
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rest — a break
  10. net — for catching
  11. key — for a lock
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — magic
  14. net — in sport
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kid — to tease
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. net — after costs
  23. kid — child
  24. spell — letters

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