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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
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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: pop · date · safe · clip · wind · ground · pit · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. date — the fruit
  8. ground — a position
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pop — to visit
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wind — moving air
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pit — a hole
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. key — in music
  24. clip — a video

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