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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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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: sharp · spring · row · charge · march · pitch · face · wound

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wound — an injury
  3. charge — in control
  4. march — music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. march — the month
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. face — to confront
  10. row — to paddle
  11. spring — the season
  12. charge — a price
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitch — completely
  16. march — the month
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. face — to point toward
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. spring — of water
  21. row — a line
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. charge — electricity

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