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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.

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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. charge — in control
  4. snap — to click
  5. hand — help
  6. cold — an illness
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. charge — a price
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fan — a supporter

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