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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. field — farmland
  3. charge — electricity
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. present — the time now
  6. charge — a price
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. charge — in control
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. shower — rain
  12. present — a gift
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. shower — to wash
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. wind — moving air
  18. suit — to fit
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. field — a subject
  21. wind — moving air
  22. present — there
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. field — for sport

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