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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 120 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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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: season · race · wave · object · chip · kick · charge · pitch

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. kick — in football
  5. race — the arms race
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. charge — a price
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. race — humankind
  16. pitch — completely
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. race — a contest
  20. object — a thing
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. charge — in control
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. object — an aim

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