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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stock — goods
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. ground — a position
  10. key — for a lock
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stock — shares
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pound — a weight
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. key — in music

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