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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 · key · field · pound · firm · pitcher · row · rest

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. firm — decided
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. firm — steady
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. key — for a lock
  12. row — a line
  13. field — for sport
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. firm — a company
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. key — in music
  24. charge — a price

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