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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. file — a tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. file — a line of people
  9. field — for sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. charge — electricity
  12. field — a subject
  13. drill — the tool
  14. swing — music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. charge — a price
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bulb — for light
  19. field — farmland
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. swing — to play on
  23. file — a document
  24. charge — in control

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