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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. charge — in control
  3. squash — to crush
  4. band — a music group
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. charge — electricity
  10. ball — a dance
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. squash — the sport
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — a subject
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. field — farmland
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. plane — a tool
  22. band — a ring
  23. charge — a price
  24. plane — in geometry

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