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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. field — farmland
  3. hand — help
  4. press — a publisher
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. land — ground
  7. charge — a price
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. field — a subject
  10. land — to come down
  11. perch — the fish
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hand — in cards
  14. press — newspapers
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. field — for sport
  18. charge — in control
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. land — a country
  23. press — to push
  24. perch — for a bird

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