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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
468
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: rest · season · row · wound · racket · pound · pitcher · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. row — a line
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wound — an injury
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pound — a weight
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. charge — a price
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. charge — in control
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rest — what's left

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