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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pop — music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. can — a tin
  7. last — final
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitch — completely
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. last — to go on
  14. charge — a price
  15. pop — to visit
  16. face — to confront
  17. can — to be able to
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. last — finally
  21. pop — soda
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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