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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: nail · kid · fine · charge · dip · toast · ground · field

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. charge — in control
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. charge — electricity
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fine — high quality
  12. kid — to tease
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. field — farmland
  17. fine — all right
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. charge — a price
  22. ground — a position
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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