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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: staff · season · board · pitch · race · field · charge · stock

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — electricity
  3. race — a contest
  4. charge — a price
  5. race — humankind
  6. season — of the year
  7. charge — in control
  8. pitch — completely
  9. staff — employees
  10. stock — goods
  11. board — a committee
  12. staff — a stick
  13. field — farmland
  14. season — in sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. race — the arms race
  18. field — a subject
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — for sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pitch — a sports field

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