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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: ruler · chip · key · kick · race · pitch · squash · chair

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chair — a leader
  3. race — a contest
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. race — humankind
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. kick — in football
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chip — to eat
  13. squash — the sport
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. race — the arms race
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. key — in music
  22. chip — for betting
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitch — completely

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