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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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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: pitcher · charge · game · key · wound · temple · cap · sharp

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cap — of ice
  3. sharp — clever
  4. key — for a lock
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — an injury
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. game — wild animals
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. charge — a price
  17. game — a match
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — in control
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wound — an injury
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. key — in music

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