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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: season · racket · row · leaves · pitch · hand · temple · charge

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. season — in sport
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hand — help
  13. pitch — completely
  14. row — to paddle
  15. charge — electricity
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. season — of the year
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. row — a line

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