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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: pop · chair · face · charge · wind · stick · mug · pitch

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. charge — a price
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pop — to visit
  7. charge — electricity
  8. chair — a leader
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wind — moving air
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pop — soda
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mug — to rob
  21. charge — in control
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. face — to confront
  24. wind — to turn a key

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