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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. charge — in control
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. stock — shares
  6. charge — a price
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a committee
  13. charge — electricity
  14. field — a subject
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. stock — goods
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bark — to shout
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pass — a permit

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