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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: game · mate · rash · pitcher · pit · press · straw · charge

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. charge — a price
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pit — in a race
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rash — a series
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pit — a hole
  15. press — to push
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. charge — in control
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. charge — electricity
  24. game — a match

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