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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 · foot · deal · field · chest · drill · chip · track

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. field — for sport
  4. charge — a price
  5. field — a subject
  6. drill — army training
  7. field — farmland
  8. chest — a box
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. foot — a measure
  11. deal — to handle
  12. chest — of your body
  13. drill — a practice
  14. charge — in control
  15. drill — the tool
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. track — to keep track
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. charge — electricity
  21. chip — for betting
  22. track — a song
  23. chip — to eat
  24. track — a path

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