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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: pitch · chest · stick · mark · track · deal · straw · key

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitch — completely
  8. deal — to handle
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mark — a trace
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. chest — a box
  24. mark — a grade

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