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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bulb — for light
  3. club — for golf
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. last — to go on
  6. stand — to bear
  7. charge — in control
  8. last — finally
  9. club — a group
  10. last — final
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. field — a subject
  13. file — a tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. charge — a price
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. file — a document
  23. lie — to recline
  24. file — a line of people

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