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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: charge · deal · pitch · rock · bear · chest · game · present

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bear — the animal
  3. present — a gift
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. chest — of your body
  6. game — wild animals
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. game — a match
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. charge — electricity
  13. present — the time now
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitch — completely
  18. charge — in control
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rock — music
  22. deal — to handle
  23. present — there
  24. rock — to move gently

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