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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: fork · patient · craft · cell · spell · charge · mouse · pitch

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cell — a phone
  5. charge — a price
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cell — in biology
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. spell — letters
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. charge — in control
  24. mouse — the animal

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