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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: charge · pitcher · sharp · file · arm · vault · field · spring

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. field — a subject
  3. spring — a coil
  4. vault — a safe
  5. spring — the season
  6. sharp — clever
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a line of people
  12. charge — in control
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. charge — a price
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. file — a tool
  23. spring — of water
  24. file — a document

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