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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · coach · charge · sharp · perch · fall · foot · pitch

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — to drop
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. fall — to drop
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. sharp — clever
  12. charge — electricity
  13. perch — the fish
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. fall — the season
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. game — a match
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. game — wild animals
  24. foot — the bottom

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