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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — a song
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. track — a path
  9. cue — for pool
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cue — a signal
  14. charge — a price
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. field — farmland
  19. charge — in control
  20. rest — a break
  21. field — for sport
  22. hand — help
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cue — a hint

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