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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cue — for pool
  3. charge — in control
  4. field — for sport
  5. craft — boats
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — after costs
  9. band — a ring
  10. net — in sport
  11. content — happy
  12. cue — a hint
  13. content — the amount
  14. charge — a price
  15. fall — the season
  16. charge — electricity
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fall — to drop
  21. band — a music group
  22. field — a subject
  23. net — for catching
  24. craft — a skill

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