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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: cue · fan · pitch · fall · charge · content · race · mine

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pitch — completely
  3. fall — to drop
  4. race — humankind
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. content — happy
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. race — the arms race
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fall — the season
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. charge — in control
  17. race — a contest
  18. cue — for pool
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. content — the amount
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mine — an explosive

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