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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. game — a match
  3. charge — in control
  4. field — a subject
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. field — farmland
  9. cue — for pool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. field — for sport
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. current — of water
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bark — to shout
  19. current — happening now
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. charge — electricity
  22. current — electric
  23. cue — a signal
  24. dip — to dunk

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