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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: pitch · press · club · charge · nail · date · vault · cold

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. club — a group
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. press — to push
  8. cold — an illness
  9. club — for dancing
  10. vault — a safe
  11. press — newspapers
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pitch — completely
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. charge — in control
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. charge — a price
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. club — for golf
  24. press — a publisher

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