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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 120 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: hide · pitch · mark · fine · sharp · bark · chest · key

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. key — the most important part
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bark — to shout
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fine — high quality
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. chest — a box
  19. key — in music
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. hide — to keep secret

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