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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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Word bank
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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: rash · cabinet · kid · pitch · chair · fine · drill · key

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rash — a series
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fine — all right
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. drill — army training
  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