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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ground — a position
  3. fall — the season
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. key — in music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ground — the earth
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. object — an aim
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wake — a trail
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bore — to drill
  18. object — to protest
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. key — for a lock
  21. object — a thing
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitcher — in 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