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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: tube · dip · hand · foot · wound · key · pitch · cell

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. hand — in cards
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. key — in music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. tube — the underground
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pitch — completely
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tube — a container
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wound — an injury

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