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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: key · ruler · craft · game · wave · stick · shower · pitch

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. craft — a skill
  3. key — the most important part
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. game — a match
  10. shower — rain
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. key — in music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. craft — boats
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. shower — to wash
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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