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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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Word bank
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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 water is too ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bound — certain
  3. field — farmland
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. field — a subject
  6. ball — a great time
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. charge — electricity
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. field — for sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. scale — in music
  18. suit — in cards
  19. charge — a price
  20. ball — a dance
  21. kick — in football
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. charge — in control

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