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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
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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: court · stem · charge · rash · pit · field · drill · chest

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. charge — electricity
  3. court — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rash — a series
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. field — for sport
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. charge — in control
  14. court — of a king
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. court — of law
  19. charge — a price
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chest — a box
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pit — in a race
  24. field — farmland

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