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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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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: charge · cell · pitch · foot · swing · lash · clip · deal

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. charge — a price
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. deal — to handle
  6. foot — a measure
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. clip — a video
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pitch — completely
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. swing — to play on
  18. charge — in control
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. swing — music
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. charge — electricity

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