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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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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: bank · mug · cell · pitch · race · perch · toast · charge

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. charge — a price
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mug — a face
  6. pitch — completely
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cell — in biology
  9. race — the arms race
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cell — a phone
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mug — a cup
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bank — for money
  21. toast — bread
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. charge — in control

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