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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. bark — to shout
  3. field — a subject
  4. pop — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — a gift
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cold — not warm
  9. field — for sport
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pop — soda
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. charge — a price
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. present — there
  17. field — farmland
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. present — the time now

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