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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. charge — in control
  3. field — farmland
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — to crush
  6. kid — to tease
  7. present — the time now
  8. field — for sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. present — there
  17. rest — what's left
  18. squash — the sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. charge — electricity
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. charge — a price
  23. present — a gift
  24. fan — to cool the air

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