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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. charge — in control
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. object — a thing
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitch — completely
  8. tube — a container
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cold — not warm
  11. object — to protest
  12. charge — electricity
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. hand — help
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. charge — a price
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. object — an aim
  24. squash — to crush

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