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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · press · mine · rock · file · pitcher · pitch · pop

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. charge — in control
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pop — to visit
  11. press — a publisher
  12. charge — a price
  13. press — to push
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rock — music
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pop — soda
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pop — music

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