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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. field — a subject
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. charge — electricity
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. field — for sport
  14. fine — all right
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bulb — for light
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pound — a weight
  20. charge — in control
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. kid — child
  24. straw — a straw man

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