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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: key · pit · object · pitcher · land · nail · sharp · net

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. key — the most important part
  4. object — to protest
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pit — in a race
  10. land — to come down
  11. key — in music
  12. object — an aim
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. object — a thing
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. land — a country
  22. net — for catching
  23. land — ground
  24. nail — for a hammer

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