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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. field — for sport
  4. cap — a hat
  5. charge — a price
  6. cap — of ice
  7. court — of law
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cap — a lid
  10. march — the month
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. march — the month
  15. fall — the season
  16. charge — electricity
  17. march — music
  18. court — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. field — a subject
  22. charge — in control
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — of a king

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