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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: can · pitch · fan · swing · charge · clip · lie · mate

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. charge — electricity
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mate — to breed
  10. swing — music
  11. charge — a price
  12. can — a tin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. swing — in golf
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mate — a friend
  20. charge — in control
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pitch — completely

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