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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fine — all right
  5. row — a line
  6. rock — a stone
  7. charge — electricity
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rock — music
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. field — for sport
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control

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