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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. race — humankind
  5. snap — to click
  6. race — the arms race
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. race — a contest
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. charge — a price
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. charge — in control
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. hand — help
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bear — the animal

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