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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: charge · wound · kick · pitch · mate · key · land · file

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wound — an injury
  3. file — a document
  4. pitch — completely
  5. key — in music
  6. land — a country
  7. charge — electricity
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. charge — in control
  11. file — a line of people
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. charge — a price
  14. land — ground
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. file — a tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. kick — in football
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. land — to come down

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