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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. field — for sport
  3. pop — music
  4. field — farmland
  5. charge — electricity
  6. net — after costs
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pop — soda
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. staff — employees
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pop — to visit
  15. charge — in control
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — a subject
  19. rock — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. staff — employees
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. staff — a stick

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