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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: ground · staff · pop · chest · key · present · arm · roll

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. key — for a lock
  4. roll — a list
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pop — to visit
  12. present — the time now
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. key — in music
  16. present — a gift
  17. roll — a cake
  18. staff — employees
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — employees
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. key — the most important part
  23. present — there
  24. staff — a stick

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