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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 116 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ground — the earth
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cue — a hint
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cue — a signal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. key — in music
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cue — for pool
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. net — for catching
  21. ground — a position
  22. sharp — clever
  23. net — after costs
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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