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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. key — for a lock
  3. ground — crushed
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. file — a tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. key — in music
  14. pound — a weight
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. file — a document
  22. ground — a position
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. ground — the earth

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