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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. field — a subject
  3. charge — a price
  4. track — a path
  5. ball — a dance
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. field — for sport
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. band — a music group
  11. stock — goods
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. field — farmland
  18. band — a ring
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. charge — in control
  24. lash — an eyelash

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