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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 120 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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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: content · charge · arm · staff · deal · march · pitch · root

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. staff — employees
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. staff — employees
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. march — the month
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. march — music
  13. pitch — completely
  14. charge — a price
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. content — the amount
  18. root — the cause
  19. content — happy
  20. march — the month
  21. root — of a word
  22. charge — electricity
  23. staff — a stick
  24. content — videos and posts

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