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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 120 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: club · pitch · mug · key · face · game · current · scale

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. face — to confront
  3. club — for golf
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. club — for dancing
  6. current — of water
  7. game — wild animals
  8. current — electric
  9. mug — a face
  10. key — the most important part
  11. club — a group
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mug — a cup
  15. current — happening now
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pitch — completely
  19. key — in music
  20. face — to point toward
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. key — for a lock
  23. scale — in music
  24. game — a match

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