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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: key · chair · face · race · club · row · rush · pitch

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. face — to point toward
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. chair — a leader
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. race — humankind
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. race — a contest
  13. face — to confront
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. face — part of the head
  16. key — for a lock
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. row — a line
  21. pitch — completely
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rush — hurry

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