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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. deal — to handle
  2. band — a ring
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. race — humankind
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. key — the most important part
  16. band — a music group
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mine — for digging
  21. key — in music
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. band — a rubber band
  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