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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. content — happy
  3. firm — a company
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — in control
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. field — farmland
  8. charge — a price
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. chip — for betting
  13. firm — steady
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. content — the amount
  18. field — a subject
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. firm — decided
  24. trunk — of a car

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