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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. game — wild animals
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ball — a great time
  19. kid — child
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. game — a match
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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