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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: ground · charge · mine · calf · lash · rush · field · chip

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. charge — a price
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. field — for sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chip — for betting
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. field — a subject
  17. charge — in control
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ground — a position
  20. field — farmland
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. chip — to eat
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. lash — to lash out

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