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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 120 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: mine · squash · ground · pop · key · pitch · bore · bank

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pop — soda
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bank — for money
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ground — the earth
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bank — of a river
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bore — to drill
  23. ground — a position
  24. pop — music

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