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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. charge — a price
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bass — low music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. track — a path
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bass — the fish
  10. hand — in cards
  11. charge — in control
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. fall — the season
  17. hand — help
  18. rush — hurry
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. charge — electricity
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rush — a thrill

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