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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 116 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 · pitcher · season · fork · ground · nail · wave · last

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. season — in sport
  10. last — final
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. key — in music
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. last — finally
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fork — in a road

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