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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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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: kid · drill · wind · deal · face · pitch · charge · land

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. kid — to tease
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wind — moving air
  6. charge — a price
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. drill — army training
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. face — to point toward
  16. drill — the tool
  17. kid — child
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. face — to confront
  21. charge — electricity
  22. deal — to handle
  23. face — part of the head
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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