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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 116 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: sharp · charge · swing · ground · net · pitch · chair · key

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. sharp — clever
  8. net — after costs
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. key — in music
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — the earth
  15. charge — electricity
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. charge — in control
  20. net — in sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. swing — music
  24. charge — a price

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