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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: fork · bat · firm · sharp · ground · dip · key · cap

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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. cap — a hat
  4. fork — in a road
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. firm — steady
  8. cap — of ice
  9. key — for a lock
  10. firm — decided
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. firm — a company
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cap — a lid
  22. sharp — clever
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bat — the animal

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