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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. key — the most important part
  3. net — after costs
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pop — soda
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pop — music
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. ground — a position
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. key — in music
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ground — the earth

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