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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: cabinet · pitch · date · mine · key · bear · calf · pop

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pop — to visit
  8. key — in music
  9. pop — soda
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pop — music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pitch — completely
  24. date — the fruit

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