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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 120 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. charge — a price
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. key — the most important part
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. kick — in football
  10. charge — in control
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pass — a permit
  23. key — in music
  24. mine — an explosive

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