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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. field — farmland
  4. pitch — completely
  5. field — a subject
  6. lie — to recline
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. charge — in control
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bound — obliged

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