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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. net — after costs
  3. charge — in control
  4. net — in sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. field — for sport
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. field — a subject
  12. lean — to bend
  13. charge — a price
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. net — for catching
  17. foot — a measure
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bear — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lean — thin
  24. field — farmland

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