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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · saw · march · pitch · bass · bark · kid · drill

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bass — the fish
  4. drill — a practice
  5. charge — in control
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. charge — a price
  8. kid — child
  9. charge — electricity
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. drill — army training
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bass — low music

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