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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bear — the animal
  6. charge — a price
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cap — of ice
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. charge — in control
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cap — a lid
  17. field — a subject
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cap — a hat
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. sharp — exactly

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