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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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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. field — farmland
  3. charge — in control
  4. drill — army training
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rush — hurry
  7. field — a subject
  8. spring — of water
  9. face — part of the head
  10. drill — the tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. charge — a price
  15. face — to confront
  16. spring — the season
  17. charge — electricity
  18. fine — all right
  19. face — to point toward
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. field — for sport
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cell — a phone

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