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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 120 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: field · chest · charge · ball · bay · mug · race · bank

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. race — a contest
  6. field — for sport
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bank — for money
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mug — to rob
  11. ball — a dance
  12. charge — in control
  13. mug — a face
  14. bank — for money
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. field — farmland
  19. race — the arms race
  20. field — a subject
  21. race — humankind
  22. bank — of a river
  23. charge — electricity
  24. chest — a box

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