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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. chest — of your body
  5. field — a subject
  6. cue — a signal
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rest — what's left
  11. charge — in control
  12. rock — music
  13. mark — a grade
  14. charge — a price
  15. field — for sport
  16. chest — a box
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. chest — of your body
  21. field — farmland
  22. cue — for pool
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. trunk — of a tree

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