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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. charge — electricity
  3. firm — steady
  4. field — farmland
  5. firm — a company
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. charge — in control
  14. rest — what's left
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. charge — a price
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. firm — decided
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. tube — a container
  23. rest — what's left
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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