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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. field — for sport
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. file — a document
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. charge — a price
  16. ball — a dance
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. ball — a great time
  22. mine — for digging
  23. charge — in control
  24. racket — a loud noise

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