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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. field — for sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. field — a subject
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. content — the amount
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. board — to get on
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. spell — magic
  20. field — farmland
  21. spell — a short time
  22. content — happy
  23. spell — letters
  24. lash — an eyelash

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