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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. key — for a lock
  4. swing — in golf
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ground — a position
  12. swing — music
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. ground — the earth
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. ground — crushed
  17. kid — child
  18. plane — a tool
  19. net — after costs
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. key — in music
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. key — the most important part

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