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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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468
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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. field — a subject
  3. march — the month
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. field — farmland
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. march — music
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. field — for sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. charge — in control
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lie — to recline

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