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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. field — for sport
  3. rock — music
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bulb — for light
  8. charge — a price
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fine — high quality
  13. kick — in football
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rock — a stone
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. charge — in control
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. fine — all right

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