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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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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 · bark · racket · fan · deal · wind · mouse · charge

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. charge — a price
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. charge — in control

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