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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. rest — a break
  4. net — for catching
  5. charge — electricity
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. net — after costs
  8. rest — what's left
  9. charge — a price
  10. field — farmland
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — in cards
  13. band — a music group
  14. game — wild animals
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. net — in sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wax — to grow
  20. charge — in control
  21. band — a ring
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rest — what's left
  24. game — a match

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