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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. hand — help
  4. content — the amount
  5. ground — a position
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bulb — for light
  8. content — happy
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitch — completely
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. kid — child
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. kid — to tease
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bulb — for light

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