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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
468
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: field · land · temple · toast · charge · pit · hand · lash

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. land — a country
  3. charge — electricity
  4. field — farmland
  5. pit — a hole
  6. field — for sport
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. land — to come down
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — bread
  15. hand — help
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. field — a subject
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. hand — in cards
  22. charge — in control
  23. land — ground
  24. hand — part of the body

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