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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. charge — in control
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. hand — help
  6. field — a subject
  7. charge — electricity
  8. roll — a cake
  9. cue — a hint
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. field — for sport
  12. wake — a trail
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. field — farmland
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. charge — a price
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stand — to bear

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