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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: squash · track · game · bat · charge · pitch · foot · fine

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. squash — to crush
  7. game — wild animals
  8. charge — electricity
  9. track — a song
  10. fine — all right
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. track — a path
  15. charge — a price
  16. squash — the sport
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pitch — completely
  20. charge — in control
  21. bat — the animal
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fine — high quality

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