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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · craft · jam · cold · march · net · mouse · pitch

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. charge — electricity
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. charge — a price
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. net — after costs
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. craft — boats
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. net — in sport
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. craft — a skill
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. charge — in control

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