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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · cell · field · charge · club · drill

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. club — a group
  3. cell — a phone
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. club — for golf
  9. field — farmland
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. field — a subject
  12. charge — a price
  13. drill — a practice
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. charge — electricity
  16. club — for dancing
  17. charge — in control
  18. cell — in biology

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