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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: hide · snap · pitch · game · cell · coach · pop · key

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pop — soda
  9. game — a match
  10. snap — to click
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. game — wild animals
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pop — music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pop — to visit

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