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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.

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: charge · hide · ruler · mate · racket · swing · field · pitcher

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mate — a friend
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. field — farmland
  6. swing — in golf
  7. charge — a price
  8. swing — music
  9. mate — a partner
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. field — a subject
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. charge — in control
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. swing — to play on
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. field — for sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. ruler — for measuring

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