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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: last · spring · suit · patient · mine · pitch · key · tear

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. spring — of water
  5. mine — for digging
  6. key — in music
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. spring — the season
  11. tear — from crying
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. suit — to fit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. spring — a coil
  23. suit — clothes
  24. tear — to rip

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