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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: present · patient · last · wound · key · drill · pitch · ground

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. last — finally
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. present — the time now
  5. key — in music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — to go on
  9. key — for a lock
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — the earth
  15. present — a gift
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. present — there
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. last — final
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ground — a position
  24. pitch — completely

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