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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · pitcher · wind · charge · lie · hand · last · cap

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. charge — in control
  3. cap — a hat
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. charge — electricity
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cap — of ice
  10. hand — help
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — final
  13. charge — a price
  14. cap — a lid
  15. last — finally
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. club — for dancing

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