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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
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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: march · key · pitch · firm · ball · kid · bore · net

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bore — to tire
  3. net — for catching
  4. kid — to tease
  5. key — the most important part
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. firm — decided
  8. bore — to drill
  9. kid — child
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. key — for a lock
  13. net — in sport
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. ball — a dance
  16. firm — a company
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. key — in music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. net — after costs
  22. ball — a great time
  23. march — music
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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