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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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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: wake · pit · board · ground · key · pound · last · straw

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. board — a committee
  3. last — finally
  4. ground — a position
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pit — in a race
  7. last — final
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. board — to get on
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. last — to go on
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. key — for a lock
  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