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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 116 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: cabinet · snap · trunk · pitch · key · firm · hand · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. firm — a company
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. hand — help
  9. pitch — completely
  10. tear — to rip
  11. firm — steady
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — in cards
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. firm — decided
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. snap — to click
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. key — for a lock

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