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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: saw · hand · pitch · fan · fall · last · key · mark

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. last — to go on
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hand — help
  5. mark — a grade
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — to drop
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. fall — the season
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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