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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: arm · pitch · wake · trunk · snap · mouse · game · charge

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. charge — a price
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. game — wild animals
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. charge — electricity
  13. snap — to click
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. charge — in control
  22. pitch — completely
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mouse — the animal

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