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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — low music
  5. lie — to recline
  6. charge — in control
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. charge — electricity
  9. field — a subject
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bass — the fish
  12. field — farmland
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. present — the time now
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. charge — a price
  17. present — a gift
  18. field — for sport

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