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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — a subject
  3. charge — in control
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. charge — a price
  6. bank — of a river
  7. field — farmland
  8. bank — for money
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — a law
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rule — government
  13. net — after costs
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. net — in sport
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. charge — electricity
  19. degree — from a university
  20. field — for sport
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. net — for catching

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