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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. charge — electricity
  4. file — a tool
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. field — for sport
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. court — for sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. court — of law
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a document
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bound — tied together
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a line of people
  22. court — of a king
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. prune — to trim

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