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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.

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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. charge — a price
  6. fine — all right
  7. wound — an injury
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wound — an injury
  10. charge — in control
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. season — of the year
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. field — for sport
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. season — in sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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