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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 116 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. kick — in football
  3. stand — to bear
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bat — the animal
  6. key — in music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. key — for a lock
  10. band — a ring
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. scale — in music
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. band — a music group
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pitch — a sports field

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