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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: pitch · straw · club · lie · scale · board · key · content

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. club — for golf
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. key — in music
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. board — to get on
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitch — completely
  15. scale — in music
  16. board — a committee
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. content — the amount
  20. lie — to recline
  21. content — happy
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. straw — dry grass

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