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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: content · tube · file · ball · ground · bank · key · pitcher

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bank — for money
  8. ground — crushed
  9. file — a tool
  10. content — the amount
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. ground — a position
  16. bank — of a river
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bank — for money
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ball — a great time
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pitcher — a jug

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