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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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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: ground · leaves · court · game · stem · pass · pitch · key

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. key — in music
  3. ground — crushed
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. ground — a position
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. court — of law
  19. key — the most important part
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. game — a match
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pass — a permit

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