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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. content — happy
  3. charge — a price
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. swing — in golf
  6. field — for sport
  7. swing — music
  8. content — the amount
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. charge — electricity
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. charge — in control
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — music
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. field — a subject
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pound — a weight

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