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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. net — in sport
  3. charge — in control
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. field — a subject
  8. lean — thin
  9. field — for sport
  10. march — music
  11. net — after costs
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pound — a weight
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. field — farmland
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. net — for catching
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. march — the month

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