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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: key · wave · stem · pitch · game · sharp · mine · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. firm — a company
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. firm — decided
  11. game — wild animals
  12. key — in music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. key — the most important part
  24. game — a match

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