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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.

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: key · pitch · wind · rock · land · sharp · ball · arm

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitch — completely
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. key — for a lock
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. key — in music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. land — a country

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