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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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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: staff · ruler · safe · pitch · key · stem · court · file

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stem — to come from
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. file — a line of people
  8. key — in music
  9. file — a tool
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitch — completely
  13. key — the most important part
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. court — for sport
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. court — of law
  21. file — a document
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. staff — a stick
  24. ruler — for measuring

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