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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ground — a position
  5. key — the most important part
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — for sport
  8. clip — to cut
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pitch — completely
  11. ground — the earth
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — for paper
  14. field — a subject
  15. clip — a video
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. craft — boats
  24. key — in music

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