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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ground — the earth
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. sharp — clever
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ground — a position
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pass — a permit
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. game — a match
  18. key — the most important part

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