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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: bound · rest · field · charge · degree · mate · row · racket

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bound — obliged
  6. row — a line
  7. charge — in control
  8. row — to paddle
  9. degree — an amount
  10. field — farmland
  11. rest — what's left
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bound — certain
  14. field — for sport
  15. mate — a friend
  16. field — a subject
  17. charge — a price
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bound — tied together
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mate — to breed
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rest — a break
  24. racket — for tennis

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