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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. charge — electricity
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ground — a position
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — a price
  13. shower — rain
  14. perch — the fish
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rush — hurry
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. shower — to wash

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