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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. field — for sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. charge — a price
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rule — government
  13. field — a subject
  14. fall — the season
  15. face — part of the head
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. field — farmland
  19. face — to point toward
  20. game — a match
  21. rule — a law
  22. fall — to drop
  23. face — to confront
  24. game — wild animals

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