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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · charge · trunk · clip · cap · spell · kid · pitch

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pitch — completely
  3. clip — to cut
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. clip — a video
  6. cap — a lid
  7. spell — a short time
  8. charge — a price
  9. cap — a hat
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. clip — for paper
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cap — of ice
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. spell — letters
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. charge — in control
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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