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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. drill — army training
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bat — the animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. content — happy
  10. pitch — completely
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. sharp — clever
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. key — in music
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. key — for a lock
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. drill — the tool
  24. content — the amount

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