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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kid — to tease
  3. charge — electricity
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — a subject
  6. charge — in control
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. fall — the season
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — child
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. charge — a price
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. march — music
  20. fine — high quality
  21. field — for sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — farmland
  24. march — the month

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