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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: bay · wound · swing · tear · charge · current · pitch · pop

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pop — music
  3. current — electric
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pop — soda
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pop — to visit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pitch — completely
  11. current — happening now
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. charge — in control
  16. swing — music
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — electricity
  21. current — of water
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. charge — a price
  24. swing — in golf

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