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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. tear — to rip
  6. charge — a price
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — for sport
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rock — music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — farmland
  16. cap — of ice
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — from crying
  24. field — a subject

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