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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: date · pitch · stand · mate · charge · file

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mate — a friend
  3. file — a line of people
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — completely
  6. file — a tool
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. charge — a price
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. charge — in control
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stand — to bear
  15. file — a document
  16. charge — electricity
  17. date — the fruit
  18. 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