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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: rest · key · wound · leaves · track · deal · content · pitch

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rest — what's left
  3. track — a song
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pitch — completely
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rest — a break
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. key — in music
  11. content — the amount
  12. deal — to handle
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. track — a path
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. content — happy
  24. leaves — lets stay

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