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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: key · stick · mug · cabinet · ground · saw · pitcher · mate

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mug — a face
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — crushed
  12. key — in music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mug — a cup
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ground — a position
  24. mate — to breed

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