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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: mine · pit · spell · ground · fall · key · pitcher · firm

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spell — magic
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pit — a hole
  6. spell — letters
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. key — the most important part
  11. ground — a position
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pit — in a race
  15. firm — decided
  16. spell — a short time
  17. firm — a company
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. firm — steady
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. key — in music
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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