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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fall — to drop
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fall — to drop
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fall — the season
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bat — the animal
  15. key — in music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. key — the most important part
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bat — in an idiom

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