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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. charge — electricity
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. field — a subject
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. field — farmland
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. field — for sport
  13. club — a group
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pound — a weight
  16. club — for golf
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hand — help
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. club — for dancing
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. charge — a price
  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