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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cold — an illness
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cold — not warm
  10. toast — bread
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. key — the most important part
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. stand — to bear
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. ball — a round shape

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