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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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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: chest · foot · plane · ground · march · pit · key · pop

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pop — music
  5. ground — a position
  6. key — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — a box
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pop — soda
  13. march — music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. key — the most important part
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. march — the month
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pop — to visit

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