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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: snap · pitch · chest · charge · kick · rock · tube · prune

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. charge — a price
  5. kick — in football
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. snap — to click
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. chest — a box
  15. tube — the underground
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tube — a container
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rock — music

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