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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.

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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. field — a subject
  3. content — happy
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. drill — a practice
  6. charge — electricity
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rush — hurry
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. charge — in control
  12. drill — army training
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — a division
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. content — the amount
  19. charge — a price
  20. drill — the tool
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. field — for sport
  24. calf — of the leg

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