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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. ground — crushed
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. staff — a stick
  12. branch — a division
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bore — to drill
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. staff — employees
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. staff — employees
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — a tight spot

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