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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cap — a lid
  3. file — a line of people
  4. charge — electricity
  5. field — for sport
  6. charge — a price
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cap — a hat
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. file — a tool
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. file — a document
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. charge — in control
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. field — a subject

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