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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: present · chest · pitcher · sharp · lie · ground · craft · key

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. lie — to recline
  3. ground — the earth
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. key — the most important part
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. sharp — clever
  13. craft — boats
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. present — there
  18. key — in music
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chest — of your body
  23. key — for a lock
  24. craft — a skill

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