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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: pitch · chest · hand · content · stand · spring · vault · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. vault — a safe
  7. content — happy
  8. key — in music
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spring — of water
  12. chest — of your body
  13. content — the amount
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. key — for a lock
  17. hand — help
  18. pitch — completely
  19. spring — the season
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chest — a box
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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