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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: club · chair · pitch · key · pit · dip · cold · charge

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. charge — electricity
  4. key — the most important part
  5. chair — a leader
  6. club — a group
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitch — completely
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pit — in a race
  12. club — for golf
  13. cold — not warm
  14. key — in music
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. charge — in control
  21. dip — to sink
  22. key — for a lock
  23. club — for dancing
  24. charge — a price

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