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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. field — for sport
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mug — a face
  5. tube — a container
  6. roll — a cake
  7. tube — the underground
  8. ball — a dance
  9. charge — in control
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pound — a weight
  18. prune — to trim
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. field — a subject
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mug — a cup
  23. field — farmland
  24. roll — a list

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