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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — for digging
  3. field — a subject
  4. charge — in control
  5. field — farmland
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. present — there
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rest — a break
  10. present — the time now
  11. field — for sport
  12. charge — a price
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lean — thin
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mug — a face
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mug — a cup
  24. present — a gift

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