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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ground — a position
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. snap — to click
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ground — crushed
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. key — the most important part
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. object — a thing
  17. bark — to shout
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. object — an aim
  23. court — of law
  24. object — to protest

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