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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. field — farmland
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. charge — in control
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. field — a subject
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. current — of water
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a ring
  12. object — to protest
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rule — government
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rule — a law
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. band — a music group
  24. field — for sport

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