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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: rest · hand · foot · bear · field · game · club · charge

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. charge — a price
  3. hand — help
  4. bear — the animal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. charge — electricity
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rest — what's left
  11. club — a group
  12. rest — a break
  13. game — a match
  14. rest — what's left
  15. field — farmland
  16. bear — the animal
  17. field — for sport
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. field — a subject
  20. charge — in control
  21. game — wild animals
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. foot — the bottom

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