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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mug — a face
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mug — to rob
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rush — hurry
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. key — the most important part
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. craft — boats
  17. key — in music
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bat — the animal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lie — an untruth

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