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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. object — a thing
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. object — to protest
  8. file — a tool
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. file — a line of people
  15. key — in music
  16. mark — a trace
  17. file — a document
  18. object — an aim
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mine — for digging
  24. safe — a strongbox

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