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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tube — the underground
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. charge — a price
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. squash — to crush
  9. net — after costs
  10. squash — the sport
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitch — completely
  13. net — for catching
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — in sport
  18. pitch — a sales talk

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