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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 · game · rash · scale · perch · field · press · cold

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. scale — size or range
  3. press — newspapers
  4. scale — in music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cold — an illness
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. game — wild animals
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — a price
  18. rash — a series
  19. charge — in control
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — to push
  24. perch — for a bird

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