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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. staff — employees
  4. branch — a division
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wound — an injury
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. present — there
  11. pitch — completely
  12. present — the time now
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. present — a gift
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bat — for baseball

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