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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 120 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: stem · key · craft · pit · drill · chair · last · pitcher

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pit — a hole
  10. drill — a practice
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. last — final
  14. craft — a skill
  15. drill — the tool
  16. key — in music
  17. drill — army training
  18. pit — in a race
  19. last — finally
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chair — a leader

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