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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: stem · cap · pitch · cell · hide · charge · pitcher · rock

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rock — music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pitch — completely
  21. charge — a price
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. charge — in control

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