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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — in music
  10. pop — music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pop — soda
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pop — to visit
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. game — a match
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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