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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: can · lie · pitch · roll · charge · cap · fan · wound

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. charge — a price
  4. pitch — completely
  5. charge — in control
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. can — a tin
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lie — to recline
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. charge — electricity
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wound — an injury

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