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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 120 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: pitch · stock · capital · charge · bat · lean · row · temple

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. charge — a price
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. stock — shares
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bat — the animal
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pitch — completely
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stock — goods
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. row — a line
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. lean — thin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitch — a sports field

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