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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: pitch · current · chair · content · charge · straw · wake · tear

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tear — from crying
  4. charge — a price
  5. pitch — completely
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chair — a leader
  9. charge — in control
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. current — happening now
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. tear — from crying
  17. charge — electricity
  18. content — the amount
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. content — happy
  21. current — electric
  22. wake — a trail
  23. current — of water
  24. tear — to rip

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