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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: race · ruler · wind · hand · jam · bark · charge · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bark — to shout
  8. hand — help
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. race — humankind
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. charge — electricity
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wind — moving air
  22. race — a contest
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. charge — in control

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