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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: pitch · cell · wake · file · fine · fan · race · game

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. file — a document
  4. race — a contest
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. race — humankind
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. file — a tool
  16. fine — all right
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. game — a match
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fine — a penalty

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