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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. field — farmland
  3. rash — a series
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. season — in sport
  7. content — the amount
  8. charge — electricity
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. kid — child
  11. rash — hasty
  12. content — happy
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. field — for sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. charge — in control
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. field — a subject
  23. saw — the tool
  24. charge — a price

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