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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. charge — in control
  3. club — for golf
  4. charge — a price
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. clip — a video
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lean — thin
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. charge — electricity
  15. lean — to bend
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stem — to come from
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pitch — completely

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