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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. file — a line of people
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. file — a document
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. perch — the fish
  12. charge — electricity
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cell — in biology
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. field — a subject
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. file — a tool
  20. field — farmland
  21. cell — a phone
  22. kick — in football
  23. field — for sport
  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