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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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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: deal · pitch · current · race · key · can · prune · foot

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. can — to be able to
  3. current — of water
  4. key — for a lock
  5. foot — a measure
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. race — the arms race
  8. key — in music
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — happening now
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. key — the most important part
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. current — electric
  21. prune — to trim
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. deal — to handle

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