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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: leaves · stick · bark · pitcher · ground · charge · racket · race

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. race — the arms race
  6. charge — in control
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. race — a contest
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ground — crushed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. charge — a price
  18. race — humankind
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. ground — a position
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. leaves — to go away

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