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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. 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. field — for sport
  2. charge — electricity
  3. roll — a list
  4. field — farmland
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bulb — for light
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. perch — the fish
  12. charge — a price
  13. bulb — for light
  14. face — to confront
  15. field — a subject
  16. face — part of the head
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. face — to point toward
  24. 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