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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: stick · pitch · drill · present · rock · board · game · charge

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. board — a committee
  3. charge — electricity
  4. present — a gift
  5. charge — in control
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. drill — the tool
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. charge — a price
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. game — wild animals
  14. drill — a practice
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. rock — a stone
  18. drill — army training
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. game — a match
  23. pitch — completely
  24. rock — to move gently

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