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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stand — to bear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. charge — in control
  8. field — for sport
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. prune — to trim
  11. field — farmland
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. cold — not warm
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. charge — electricity
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cold — an illness
  22. charge — a price
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. field — a subject

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