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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. vault — a safe
  3. ground — the earth
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mark — a grade
  10. file — a line of people
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. key — for a lock
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mark — a trace
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — in music
  20. ground — a position
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stem — of a plant

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