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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: race · pitch · hand · ground · foot · wake · key · mug

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ground — a position
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mug — a cup
  14. race — a contest
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. foot — a measure
  19. hand — help
  20. race — humankind
  21. key — in music
  22. mug — a face
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wake — a trail

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