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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 · fall · fan · pop · stem · pitch · chair · firm

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pop — soda
  4. key — the most important part
  5. firm — steady
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. key — in music
  11. pop — music
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitch — completely
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fall — the season
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fan — to cool the air

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