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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. charge — electricity
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. field — a subject
  6. kid — child
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. ground — a position
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bat — the animal
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stand — to bear
  14. ground — the earth
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. charge — a price
  19. sharp — clever
  20. field — for sport
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. field — farmland

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