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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 120 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: leaves · craft · pitch · cold · swing · charge · cell · row

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cell — a phone
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. row — to paddle
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. craft — boats
  15. pitch — completely
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. row — a line
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cold — not warm
  20. craft — a skill
  21. charge — a price
  22. cold — an illness
  23. charge — in control
  24. row — a quarrel

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