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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bass — the fish
  6. staff — employees
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. field — farmland
  12. staff — employees
  13. lie — to recline
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. cap — a lid
  17. charge — in control
  18. cap — a hat
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cap — of ice
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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