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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. key — the most important part
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ground — a position

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