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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. track — a song
  5. face — to point toward
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. key — in music
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. key — the most important part
  13. track — to keep track
  14. present — there
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. track — a path
  17. face — part of the head
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. staff — employees
  21. face — to confront
  22. ground — the earth
  23. staff — employees
  24. key — for a lock

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