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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: pop · clip · pound · straw · charge · field · safe · racket

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. field — farmland
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pop — music
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pound — a weight
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. pop — soda
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. clip — for paper
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pop — to visit
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. clip — a video

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