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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
468
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: bat · bear · face · fork · pit · spring · key · pitcher

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pit — a hole
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pit — in a race
  11. key — for a lock
  12. face — to confront
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. face — part of the head
  24. key — in music

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