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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. charge — electricity
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. charge — a price
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. net — for catching
  10. field — a subject
  11. net — after costs
  12. bass — the fish
  13. net — in sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. field — farmland
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. field — for sport

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