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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: stick · wound · key · lie · pitch · chair · branch · hide

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. key — for a lock
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. branch — a division
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitch — completely
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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