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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: fan · perch · pitch · cue · charge · pitcher · sharp · row

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cue — a hint
  3. charge — in control
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cue — for pool
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. row — a quarrel

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