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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
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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: rash · band · cue · field · file · hand · ball · charge

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. hand — in cards
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cue — a hint
  7. charge — in control
  8. file — a tool
  9. field — for sport
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. field — a subject
  14. cue — for pool
  15. file — a document
  16. band — a music group
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hand — help
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. charge — a price
  21. field — farmland
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ball — a great 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