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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: rash · pound · bass · season · charge · field · capital · squash

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. season — of the year
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. charge — electricity
  6. pound — a weight
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — in sport
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. capital — a city
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rash — a series
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bass — low music
  20. charge — in control
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. charge — a price
  24. capital — a big letter

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