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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bark · pitch · charge · bat · key · game · land · bore

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. land — to come down
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. land — a country
  6. charge — a price
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bore — to drill
  11. key — for a lock
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bat — the animal
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bore — to tire
  18. charge — in control
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bark — to shout
  21. land — ground
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. key — in music

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