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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: wound · pitcher · charge · field · object · deal · bat · racket

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. field — farmland
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. object — to protest
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. object — a thing
  15. field — for sport
  16. object — an aim
  17. field — a subject
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. charge — in control
  24. bat — in an idiom

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