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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. charge — in control
  6. field — a subject
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. swing — music
  18. charge — a price
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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