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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: spell · pitch · chest · drill · charge · leaves · track · nail

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. charge — electricity
  3. track — to keep track
  4. drill — a practice
  5. charge — in control
  6. drill — army training
  7. track — a path
  8. chest — a box
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. charge — a price
  13. spell — magic
  14. pitch — completely
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — a song
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chest — of your body

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