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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 116 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: field · charge · chair · season · pop · spell · kid · pit

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. kid — to tease
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pop — music
  8. season — of the year
  9. spell — letters
  10. charge — a price
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. field — for sport
  13. spell — a short time
  14. season — in sport
  15. chair — a leader
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. pop — soda
  21. spell — magic
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pop — to visit

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