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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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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: pitch · chip · sharp · charge · wound · pass · mine · plane

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. charge — a price
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. chip — to eat
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to succeed

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