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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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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kid — child
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. key — in music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — to breed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — crushed
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wax — to grow
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pitch — completely

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