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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 120 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: file · charge · pound · tube · pitch · hand · cue · spring

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. charge — a price
  3. pitch — completely
  4. spring — of water
  5. cue — a signal
  6. tube — the underground
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. charge — electricity
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spring — the season
  17. pound — a weight
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cue — for pool
  20. charge — in control
  21. cue — a hint
  22. tube — a container
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. tube — in a tire

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