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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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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: wind · charge · pitch · current · file · mate · present · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. current — happening now
  3. mate — a friend
  4. present — there
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wind — moving air
  9. present — the time now
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wind — moving air
  14. current — of water
  15. mate — to breed
  16. charge — electricity
  17. file — a document
  18. charge — a price
  19. present — a gift
  20. current — electric
  21. file — a tool
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. charge — in control
  24. race — a contest

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