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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. spell — a short time
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. key — in music
  10. spell — magic
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pitch — completely
  19. spell — letters
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pound — a weight
  22. ground — the earth
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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