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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bat — the animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. present — the time now
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. court — of a king
  10. charge — a price
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. current — electric
  13. charge — electricity
  14. field — a subject
  15. current — of water
  16. field — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. present — there
  20. current — happening now
  21. charge — in control
  22. court — for sport
  23. present — a gift
  24. chair — a leader

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