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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cap — of ice
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. field — a subject
  7. bulb — for light
  8. field — for sport
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. band — a music group
  11. key — the most important part
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cap — a hat
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. key — for a lock
  18. field — farmland
  19. cap — a lid
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. charge — in control
  23. key — in music
  24. bulb — of a plant

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