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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. pound — a weight
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. fine — high quality
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. squash — to crush
  14. charge — in control
  15. fine — all right
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. present — there
  18. field — farmland
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. squash — the vegetable

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