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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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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — for sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. rash — hasty
  7. track — a song
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — a series
  12. track — a path
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — to keep track
  16. charge — a price
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. field — a subject
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. charge — in control
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. field — farmland

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