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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: pitch · mine · arm · object · key · stick · trunk · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitch — completely
  8. object — to protest
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. object — a thing
  11. key — in music
  12. land — to come down
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. land — a country
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. object — an aim
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pitch — a sports field

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