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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · date · clip · ground · pitcher · key

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ground — the earth
  5. date — the fruit
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. clip — a video
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ball — a dance
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. ball — a round shape

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