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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bound — tied together
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pop — soda
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pop — to visit
  9. key — for a lock
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bound — certain
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. race — a contest
  14. prune — to trim
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pass — a permit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. race — humankind
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. fork — in a road

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