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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · key · bound · foot · cold · lie · pitch · rash

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cold — not warm
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bound — certain
  8. key — in music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bound — obliged
  11. object — to protest
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pitch — completely
  15. object — a thing
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bound — tied together
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. object — an aim
  21. cold — an illness
  22. foot — a measure
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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