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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. prune — to trim
  3. band — a ring
  4. land — to come down
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. sharp — clever
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. band — a music group
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. land — a country
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. roll — a cake
  17. prune — to trim
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. roll — a list
  23. land — ground
  24. prune — the fruit

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