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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 · race · wind · craft · ground · staff · pitch · tube

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wind — moving air
  3. charge — a price
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pitch — completely
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. staff — a stick
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. race — a contest
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. race — humankind
  19. tube — a container
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. craft — boats
  23. staff — employees
  24. craft — a skill

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