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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: charge · leaves · mouse · last · pit · field · spell · firm

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. firm — steady
  3. field — a subject
  4. spell — letters
  5. field — farmland
  6. last — to go on
  7. pit — a hole
  8. charge — electricity
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pit — in a race
  12. last — final
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. charge — in control
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — decided
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. spell — magic
  19. field — for sport
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. last — finally
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. spell — a short time

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