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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rush — hurry
  5. ground — a position
  6. bank — of a river
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bank — for money
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bank — for money
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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