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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: stem · snap · fine · race · key · nail · season · pitch

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. season — of the year
  4. key — the most important part
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. key — in music
  7. season — in sport
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. fine — high quality
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. race — a contest
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. race — the arms race
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fine — all right
  22. key — for a lock
  23. stem — to come from
  24. race — humankind

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