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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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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: cold · mark · firm · kid · wake · deal · charge · pitch

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cold — an illness
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. kid — child
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. firm — steady
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. firm — decided
  21. mark — a trace
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. firm — a company
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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