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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · firm · root · kid · bowl · clip · season · pitcher

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. season — in sport
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. charge — a price
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. firm — a company
  8. kid — to tease
  9. charge — electricity
  10. clip — for paper
  11. charge — in control
  12. root — of a plant
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a word
  18. firm — decided
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — of the year
  21. clip — a video
  22. root — the cause
  23. firm — steady
  24. pitcher — a jug

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