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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: content · racket · squash · charge · straw · kick · field · cue

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. field — farmland
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. charge — in control
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cue — a signal
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. charge — a price
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kick — in football
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. content — happy
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cue — a hint
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cue — for pool
  22. content — the amount
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. charge — electricity

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