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

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. charge — in control
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mug — a face
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — a subject
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rash — a series
  12. field — farmland
  13. mug — a cup
  14. charge — a price
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bound — certain
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. board — a committee
  20. rest — what's left
  21. board — to get on
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rest — a break
  24. field — for sport

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