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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. charge — electricity
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. saw — the tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. field — a subject
  10. saw — the tool
  11. race — humankind
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. race — the arms race
  14. snap — to click
  15. charge — a price
  16. ball — a great time
  17. field — farmland
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. charge — in control
  22. race — a contest
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ball — a dance

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