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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: lean · swing · racket · charge · pitch · sharp · shower · wound

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. shower — to wash
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wound — an injury
  9. charge — in control
  10. lean — thin
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. charge — electricity
  13. swing — music
  14. charge — a price
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitch — completely
  19. shower — rain
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lean — to rest against

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