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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wound — an injury
  6. club — for golf
  7. net — for catching
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pit — in a race
  10. ground — the earth
  11. club — a group
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. net — in sport
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pit — a hole
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. net — after costs
  18. key — in music
  19. kick — in football
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wound — an injury
  23. club — for dancing
  24. kick — with a leg

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