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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. drill — army training
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. key — in music
  12. drill — the tool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ground — crushed
  16. drill — a practice
  17. season — of the year
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. branch — a division
  20. season — in sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. branch — of a tree

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