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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 124 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. charge — a price
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. field — farmland
  5. mark — a trace
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. field — for sport
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. field — a subject
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mark — a grade

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