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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 · bark · mate · sharp · key · calf · jam · object

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. object — to protest
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. object — an aim
  11. mate — a partner
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. object — a thing
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. sharp — clever
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. mate — to breed
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. key — in music
  22. bark — to shout
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. key — for a lock

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