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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. field — for sport
  3. row — to paddle
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — farmland
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. field — a subject
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. charge — electricity
  13. row — a line
  14. wind — moving air
  15. charge — in control
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rash — hasty
  20. charge — a price
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wax — to grow

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