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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. charge — a price
  5. rash — a series
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bound — tied together
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bound — certain
  22. charge — in control
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. swing — 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