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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: wound · pitch · lie · stand · bowl · key · stick · mate

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. key — in music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lie — to recline
  10. key — for a lock
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. lie — an untruth

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