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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: key · present · temple · ground · staff · last · trunk · pitcher

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ground — the earth
  3. last — finally
  4. key — in music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. staff — a stick
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ground — crushed
  12. staff — employees
  13. key — for a lock
  14. last — to go on
  15. key — the most important part
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — a position
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. last — final

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