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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pop — music
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bark — to shout
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pop — soda
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ground — crushed
  13. key — in music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fall — the season
  24. ground — a position

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