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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mark — a grade
  3. charge — in control
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. dip — to sink
  6. field — for sport
  7. mine — for digging
  8. charge — electricity
  9. field — farmland
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mark — a trace
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. field — a subject
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. charge — a price

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