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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pound — a weight
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. key — in music
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. shower — rain
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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