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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. hand — help
  6. saw — the tool
  7. charge — a price
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. plane — a tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. object — to protest
  13. can — a tin
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. saw — the tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. object — an aim
  20. field — for sport
  21. hand — in cards
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. can — to be able to
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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