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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: game · field · charge · straw · arm · patient · plane · ball

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. charge — electricity
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. game — wild animals
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ball — a great time
  16. charge — a price
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. field — for sport
  19. ball — a dance
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. charge — in control
  22. game — a match
  23. plane — a tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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