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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: pitch · mouse · clip · sharp · lean · charge · roll · straw

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. clip — to cut
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pitch — completely
  10. clip — a video
  11. charge — in control
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lean — thin
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. charge — a price
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. roll — a cake
  21. charge — electricity
  22. roll — a list
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lean — to bend

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