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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: kick · pitch · race · mate · file · bass · board · charge

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. kick — in football
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mate — to breed
  9. board — a committee
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bass — low music
  12. charge — a price
  13. board — to get on
  14. bass — the fish
  15. charge — electricity
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. file — a tool
  22. charge — in control
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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