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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. field — for sport
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. game — wild animals
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. field — a subject
  13. charge — in control
  14. game — a match
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — farmland
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. charge — electricity
  21. branch — a division
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lean — thin

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