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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. drill — a practice
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. charge — in control
  7. field — a subject
  8. face — part of the head
  9. band — a ring
  10. drill — army training
  11. spell — magic
  12. face — to point toward
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. kick — in football
  15. band — a music group
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. field — for sport
  18. spell — a short time
  19. drill — the tool
  20. field — farmland
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. spell — letters
  23. face — to confront
  24. charge — electricity

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