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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 116 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: mine · pitch · calf · wind · key · firm · hide · cell

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — for a lock
  3. firm — decided
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. key — in music
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. firm — a company
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. firm — steady
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wind — moving air
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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