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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.

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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: stick · ball · root · key · bat · pitch · ground · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. ground — crushed
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. key — in music
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ball — a dance
  13. root — of a word
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ground — the earth
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pitch — completely
  18. ground — a position
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. root — the cause
  24. pit — a hole

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