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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 · stick · pit · wind · race · game

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. charge — in control
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wind — moving air
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wind — moving air
  10. charge — electricity
  11. game — a match
  12. race — a contest
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. race — humankind
  15. charge — a price
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pit — in a race
  18. game — wild animals

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