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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. field — farmland
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. staff — a stick
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. last — final
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. last — finally
  15. rash — a series
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. staff — employees
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. last — to go on
  21. staff — employees
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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