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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ground — the earth
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. current — happening now
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mark — a grade
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. ground — a position
  21. tube — a container
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bark — to shout
  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