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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. drill — a practice
  3. stand — to bear
  4. drill — army training
  5. last — final
  6. chest — a box
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — a subject
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bulb — for light
  14. field — farmland
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. last — finally
  19. field — for sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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