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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · key · wound · bank · ground · cold · sharp · pitch

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. key — for a lock
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ground — a position
  13. key — in music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — for money
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. ground — the earth
  18. staff — employees
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bank — of a river
  24. key — the most important part

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