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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 116 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 · pound · track · face · swing · mate · board · rush

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. board — a committee
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mate — to breed
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. charge — a price
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. board — to get on
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. face — to point toward
  16. charge — in control
  17. track — a song
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. track — a path
  24. charge — electricity

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