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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: charge · pitcher · chip · field · cold · bowl · pound · bass

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bass — the fish
  7. field — for sport
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bass — low music
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pound — a weight
  17. field — farmland
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. field — a subject
  24. cold — not warm

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