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

Word bank: pitch · content · deal · patient · mark · arm · stem · charge

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. charge — in control
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stem — to come from
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitch — completely
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. charge — a price
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. charge — electricity
  20. content — the amount
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. patient — a sick person

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