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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: charge · field · roll · bass · present · kid · pitch · sharp

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pitch — completely
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. present — there
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. charge — in control
  7. bass — low music
  8. roll — a cake
  9. field — farmland
  10. kid — to tease
  11. field — for sport
  12. roll — a list
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. charge — electricity
  16. present — a gift
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. kid — child
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. charge — a price
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. field — a subject

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