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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. land — to come down
  3. pitch — completely
  4. key — in music
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. land — ground
  7. chest — of your body
  8. firm — a company
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. track — a path
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chest — a box
  16. track — to keep track
  17. firm — decided
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. key — for a lock
  20. track — a song
  21. land — a country
  22. firm — steady
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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