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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. field — for sport
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bear — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. charge — a price
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. charge — in control
  21. saw — the tool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. staff — a stick

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