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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: fall · rash · ball · shower · ground · field · fine · charge

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. field — farmland
  3. charge — a price
  4. ground — a position
  5. charge — electricity
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. field — for sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. fine — all right
  10. rash — hasty
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fall — the season
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — high quality
  16. charge — in control
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ball — a great time
  21. shower — rain
  22. field — a subject
  23. fall — to drop
  24. ball — a dance

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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