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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. tube — a container
  3. key — the most important part
  4. last — final
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. last — finally
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. net — for catching
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. key — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. last — to go on
  18. tube — the underground
  19. prune — to trim
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pound — a weight
  22. net — in sport
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. net — after costs

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