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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: field · bowl · charge · foot · cabinet · rush · wave · pitcher

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. field — farmland
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. charge — in control
  17. field — a subject
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. charge — a price
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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