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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. charge — electricity
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. key — the most important part
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. face — to point toward
  7. charge — a price
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. face — to confront
  11. key — in music
  12. current — of water
  13. field — for sport
  14. chair — a leader
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. field — a subject
  18. pop — soda
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. key — for a lock
  21. field — farmland
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. face — part of the head
  24. charge — in control

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