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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 120 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: can · club · deal · charge · hand · rock · field · last

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. deal — to handle
  3. can — a tin
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rock — a stone
  6. club — a group
  7. field — a subject
  8. charge — in control
  9. club — for golf
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rock — music
  12. charge — a price
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. hand — in cards
  15. last — to go on
  16. hand — help
  17. can — a tin
  18. club — for dancing
  19. charge — electricity
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. field — farmland
  22. last — final
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. last — finally

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