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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ground — a position
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cap — of ice
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. drill — army training
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ground — the earth
  10. key — for a lock
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cap — a hat
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. saw — the tool
  15. key — in music
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitch — completely
  18. prune — to trim
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. saw — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. drill — the tool
  24. temple — side of the head

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