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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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Word bank
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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. key — for a lock
  8. saw — the tool
  9. net — after costs
  10. present — a gift
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. net — in sport
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. present — there
  18. net — for catching

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