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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 116 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: file · wind · kick · charge · pound · club · land · pitcher

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — a price
  3. land — to come down
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. land — a country
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pound — a weight
  8. club — a group
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. file — a tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — moving air
  14. file — a line of people
  15. charge — electricity
  16. land — ground
  17. club — for dancing
  18. charge — in control
  19. file — a document
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. club — for golf
  24. pound — to hit hard

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