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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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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: stem · shower · deal · pitch · charge · last · present · racket

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. stem — to come from
  3. last — to go on
  4. shower — rain
  5. charge — in control
  6. shower — to wash
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. present — there
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pitch — completely
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. last — finally
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. present — the time now
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. last — final
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. present — a gift

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