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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · saw · charge · track · leaves · mine · swing · wave

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. track — a song
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — for digging
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. charge — in control
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. swing — to play on
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. charge — electricity
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — in golf
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. swing — music
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pitch — completely
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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