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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. key — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — for a lock
  5. squash — to crush
  6. season — in sport
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ground — crushed
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. key — the most important part
  12. track — a path
  13. ground — the earth
  14. track — a song
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. row — a line
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. track — to keep track
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. season — of the year
  23. ground — a position
  24. squash — the sport

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