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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. net — after costs
  3. charge — in control
  4. rash — hasty
  5. land — to come down
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. land — ground
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. field — a subject
  14. net — in sport
  15. land — a country
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ball — a great time
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. net — for catching
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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