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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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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: stand · calf · key · wind · pitch · mark · tube · racket

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mark — a trace
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mark — a grade
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wind — moving air
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stand — to bear
  24. key — in music

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