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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. charge — a price
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. field — a subject
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. field — for sport
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tube — a container
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. charge — in control
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  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