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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: clip · date · shower · can · bulb · craft · pitch · charge

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. can — a tin
  3. clip — for paper
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — a video
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. date — the fruit
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bulb — for light
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. clip — to cut
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. shower — rain
  21. can — a tin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. date — on the calendar

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