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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. staff — employees
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pound — a weight
  10. kick — in football
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. scale — in music
  13. cue — a hint
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cue — a signal
  16. charge — a price
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pitch — completely
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cue — for pool
  22. charge — in control
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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