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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: cue · saw · race · game · tube · pitch · charge · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. race — the arms race
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. charge — electricity
  14. game — a match
  15. cue — a signal
  16. charge — a price
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. charge — in control
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  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