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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: hand · fine · pass · pitch · key · wake · land · kid

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pass — a permit
  3. land — ground
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. kid — child
  6. hand — in cards
  7. kid — to tease
  8. hand — help
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. land — to come down
  17. wake — a trail
  18. land — a country
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. pitch — completely
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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