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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 · pop · hide · key · face · staff · hand · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. face — to confront
  4. hand — in cards
  5. staff — a stick
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — music
  9. lean — thin
  10. key — in music
  11. pitch — completely
  12. key — the most important part
  13. face — to point toward
  14. staff — employees
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. face — part of the head
  18. hand — help
  19. pop — soda
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. hand — part of the body

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