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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — in control
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. root — of a plant
  6. field — for sport
  7. root — the cause
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pop — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pop — soda
  14. root — of a word
  15. tube — a container
  16. pass — a permit
  17. tube — the underground
  18. field — a subject
  19. charge — a price
  20. field — farmland
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. perch — for a bird

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