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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lie — to recline
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cue — a signal
  22. row — to paddle
  23. key — in music
  24. pitch — completely

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