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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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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: chip · firm · present · pitcher · wound · club · key · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. key — for a lock
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. key — in music
  12. club — a group
  13. present — a gift
  14. club — for golf
  15. chip — to eat
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fall — the season
  18. firm — decided
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. fall — to drop

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