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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: season · straw · date · saw · bulb · charge · swing · pitch

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. swing — music
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bulb — for light
  13. date — the fruit
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bulb — for light
  17. charge — in control
  18. swing — to play on
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. saw — the tool

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