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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. field — farmland
  3. track — a song
  4. charge — a price
  5. field — a subject
  6. track — to keep track
  7. kick — in football
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. field — for sport
  12. hand — in cards
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. track — a path
  17. spell — magic
  18. hand — help

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