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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: pitch · lean · chair · charge · last · field · calf · key

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chair — a leader
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pitch — completely
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. field — for sport
  7. last — final
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. last — to go on
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. field — a subject
  15. charge — a price
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. last — finally
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. key — for a lock
  22. lean — to bend
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. charge — in control

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