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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: hand · shower · pitch · foot · stand · trunk · bat · charge

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. charge — a price
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. shower — to wash
  11. foot — a measure
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. shower — rain
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. hand — in cards
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. trunk — of a car

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