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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. file — a line of people
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rest — a break
  8. charge — a price
  9. firm — decided
  10. file — a document
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. file — a tool
  14. firm — steady
  15. key — for a lock
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. race — humankind
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. race — a contest
  21. charge — in control
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rest — what's left
  24. race — the arms race

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