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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: ball · season · bound · hand · snap · charge · ruler · pitch

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. season — of the year
  6. snap — to click
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ball — a great time
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hand — in cards
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bound — obliged
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bound — tied together
  18. charge — in control
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. hand — help
  21. pitch — completely
  22. season — in sport
  23. bound — certain
  24. ball — a dance

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