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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 · dip · date · charge · fan · pound · last · drill

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. last — final
  4. charge — in control
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. charge — electricity
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. drill — army training
  16. last — finally
  17. charge — a price
  18. drill — the tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. date — the fruit
  22. last — to go on
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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