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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. board — a committee
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. drill — a practice
  7. board — to get on
  8. kid — to tease
  9. charge — in control
  10. pitch — completely
  11. drill — the tool
  12. scale — in music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. kid — child
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. charge — electricity
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitcher — a jug

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