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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 124 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. field — a subject
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a line of people
  5. land — a country
  6. bound — tied together
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. file — a document
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. file — a tool
  11. field — for sport
  12. charge — in control
  13. bound — certain
  14. perch — the fish
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. field — farmland
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. charge — a price
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. land — to come down
  21. bound — obliged
  22. charge — electricity
  23. land — ground
  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