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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 116 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: charge · file · ground · face · ball · pop · pitcher · wave

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. file — a document
  3. ground — a position
  4. pop — to visit
  5. charge — in control
  6. face — to confront
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. charge — electricity
  14. file — a tool
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pop — soda
  18. file — a line of people
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pop — music
  24. face — part of the head

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