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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. charge — in control
  5. row — to paddle
  6. prune — to trim
  7. can — to be able to
  8. charge — a price
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. can — a tin
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. row — a line
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pitch — completely
  23. can — a tin
  24. rush — hurry

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