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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: toast · lie · ground · key · bay · pitcher · fall · foot

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fall — to drop
  7. toast — bread
  8. fall — the season
  9. lie — to recline
  10. ground — the earth
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — a position
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ground — crushed
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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