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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: kick · suit · march · field · chair · pound · charge · hand

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. hand — help
  7. field — farmland
  8. suit — in cards
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. hand — in cards
  11. field — for sport
  12. kick — in football
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pound — a weight
  17. march — music
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. chair — a leader
  20. field — a subject
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. suit — clothes

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