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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. charge — in control
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. saw — the tool
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mug — to rob
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mug — a cup
  23. field — for sport
  24. cold — an illness

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