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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: pitcher · cell · rest · ground · rush · can · roll · key

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. roll — a cake
  3. can — a tin
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. can — a tin
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rest — a break
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cell — in biology
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rush — hurry

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