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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: pitcher · rash · kid · cue · charge · press · scale · swing

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cue — a signal
  7. kid — child
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. charge — a price
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rash — a series
  14. press — to push
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. scale — in music
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. press — newspapers
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cue — for pool
  23. charge — in control
  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