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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 116 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: bat · charge · plane · field · hand · net · sharp · bay

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. net — after costs
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. net — for catching
  11. bat — the animal
  12. plane — a tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. charge — a price
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. charge — electricity
  18. field — a subject
  19. hand — in cards
  20. field — farmland
  21. net — in sport
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. charge — in control
  24. hand — help

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