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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: charge · pop · cold · spell · wound · fork · bay · pitch

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. wound — an injury
  3. charge — a price
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pop — soda
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. spell — letters
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pop — music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cold — an illness
  23. spell — magic
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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