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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: hand · pit · key · pitcher · bound · wound · saw · foot

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. key — in music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. foot — a measure
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bound — tied together
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. key — for a lock
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hand — help
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. saw — the tool
  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