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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. ball — a great time
  3. field — for sport
  4. charge — a price
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitch — completely
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. field — a subject
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. field — farmland
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. charge — in control
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. content — the amount
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mark — a trace

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