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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.

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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: charge · squash · key · pitch · field · tube · object · fan

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. object — to protest
  3. squash — the sport
  4. object — a thing
  5. field — a subject
  6. charge — electricity
  7. key — the most important part
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. object — an aim
  10. tube — the underground
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. key — for a lock
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. key — in music
  18. pitch — completely
  19. squash — to crush
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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