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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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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: wound · saw · firm · scale · key · drill · pitcher · pit

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — for a lock
  6. scale — in music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pit — in a race
  18. scale — size or range
  19. firm — steady
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pit — a hole
  23. firm — decided
  24. key — in 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